A great Tarot reading predicts events.

No, it doesn’t just predict them. It predicts when they’re going to happen.

This tutorial will show you how to do just that.

I will be using the Golden Dawn framework throughout.

There are several different frameworks that can be used to predict events with astrological associations. I’ve chosen to use the Golden Dawn method because it’s the one I use for my work. If you don’t like the Golden Dawn framework there are several others that you can explore before deciding which one is right for you.

Normally, I approach an article by:

1. Explaining why stuff works — or why a framework is structured the way it is.
2. Provide information.
3. Finally, suggest ways to practice it.

This tutorial series, in order to be practical, will have to break from that structure. This is how I’m going to write this series of articles:

1. Suggest ways to practice it.
2. Provide information.
3. Explain why this framework is structured the way it is.

This way, you will be able to start timing and predicting events with astrology immediately. The only downside, as far as I can see, is that you won’t immediately know why the Golden Dawn attributed the astrological associations the way they did.

Let’s get started.

How to practice

The Golden Dawn system is made easier depending on the deck you use. Certain Tarot decks will show the astrological associations on each card. This removes the need for memorisation.

Start immediately

1. Deal out your favourite Tarot spread.
2. Make the usual predictions.
3. Pick some cards that seem to indicate future events.
4. Consult the list of attributions below to see when that event will occur.
5. Record your results.
6. Repeat the process. Keep repeating and testing the system. See if it’s for you. If you think it is, then the next series of posts will explain why the cards are attributed the way they are.

Another good way to practice is to make notes on what the zodiacal and planetary signs mean in Astrology. There are several ways to do this. I started by noting the seasons that each zodiacal sign was associated with. This gave me a vague, but useful understanding of their structure.

Be intuitive

Don’t make the mistake of assuming that the outcome card is the card that predicts when events will happen. Sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn’t. It changes with each spread.

If you don’t feel that the outcome card is predicting when the event will happen, look for a cluster of cards to help you.

For example, if there are three or four Tarot cards that relate to Aries — I would be comfortable in predicting that March will be the Month the event happens. Or, if there are several cards relating to Virgo, I would predict that September will be the Month the event happens.

Bottom line: look for patterns rather than relying on an individual card to give you the timing.

The information

Below is a list of the astrological attributions associated with each Tarot card. I’ve split them into distinct sections to make it easier for you to find stuff.

The Minor Arcana

These are the attributions, plus dates, for the Minor Arcana.

The Major Arcana

The 22 Major Arcana are associated with Zodiacal, Elemental and Planetary attributes.

The Zodiacal Trumps cover the time period associated with their zodiac sign. The Planetary Trumps correspond to the days of the week or the orbit of the planet, and the Elemental associations don’t cover a time period at all.

There are three primary elements associated with the 22 Trumps. The Golden Dawn attributed these three Trump cards — The Fool, The Hanged Man, and the Aeon, with the three Mother letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Court Cards

Below are the attributes for the Court Cards. The Kings are called Knights and the Knights are called Princes in the Golden Dawn system.

The Aces and the Princesses

They don’t represent astrological signs of the Zodiac. What they do represent are locations.

In some decks they are called Pages; in others, Princesses. There are important reasons, albeit philosophical ones, for why this is so. I will discuss that in a future post.

What is of more practical importance is how the Aces and the Princesses are linked together. The Aces being the root element of their suit and the Princesses the vehicle in which they manifest. In many ways the Aces and the Princesses have a special relationship.

Use the following information to predict locations.

Conclusion

The purpose of this post is to get you practicing this system straight away. Only through experimentation and practice will you know if you want to use it.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Three Ways To Accurately Predict When Events Will Happen
• An Introduction To The Elemental Dignities Compendium
• Study Guide To The Beginners Tutorial To Reading Tarot Cards
• How To Communicate With The Client
• The Celtic Cross Spread

“Umm … What do you think,” said the Tarot reader, “ Umm … about what I’ve said?”

Doesn’t make you want to start talking about your personal issues, does it?

We all tend to focus on accurate predictions and delivering a coherent story. That stuff is important.

How you invite the client to interact is equally important. When it comes to prompting discussion, how you entice them into the narrative or story may make all the difference between some sharp grunts and an explosion of discussion.

Think about it: What urge grabs the client’s attentions and compels them to reveal their darkest fears? What gets them to talk about their Tarot reading? What happens when you’ve made all the predictions the spread has to offer?

Depending on how you’ve conducted the reading, there’s a good chance that nothing happens. The client mentally nods and thinks, “Good reading.” Then he or she walks out the door.

I don’t know about you, but I find this kind of situation intensely draining.

The problem

A Tarot reading that is too good, that has too much information in it, might just be the problem. A good narrative with plenty of accurate predictions (Hits) is a great Tarot reading, sure. When you present your Tarot reading with too much information, when you make the story too tight, though, you shut down the conversation.

Solution

Those who coach individuals on social skills encourage people to ask open-ended questions. Open ended questions keep conversations going. These coaches promote getting the other person to talk about himself.

People love to talk about themselves. So be interested in what another person has to say.

Now, I’m sure most of us ask our clients open ended questions (even without thinking about it). But it isn’t simply asking the question that encourages discussion, it’s also in how you show the client you’re interested.

Where can you show that interest? Where’s the best place for that open-ended question? Right after your first big hit (prediction — accurate details of present events).

Here’s an example of the problem.

The client: I’d like a relationship reading.

You: Okay. The person in question is an alcoholic ( as you say this, you notice that it resonates with the client — hit 1 ), and they frequently say one thing, but do another (you notice hit 2). However, their career depresses them ( hit 3 ), and their family interferes. I think, from a psychological perspective, that a part of the problem is due to how he sees relationships? He had a strange relationship with his Mother. Umm … What do you think umm … of what I’m saying?

Your client: Yeah. It’s fine.

You might have shown great insight, but did you show interest? Did you ask that open ended question to get the client involved? Did you encourage discussion? Not at all. You handed them an answer and shut down conversation so nicely that getting more from the client becomes almost impossible.

They’ve heard you. They’ve moved on. It’s the fine-line difference between talking at someone and talking with someone.

Bottom line, if you don’t get the client to open up and discuss the reading, there’s a good chance they won’t return for a second one.

To help show how you might try a different tactic to get those discussions going, here’s another example.

The client: I’d like a relationship reading.

You: Okay. The person in question is an alcoholic ( as you say this, you notice that it resonates with the client — hit 1 ), and they frequently say one thing, but do another (you notice hit 2). However, their career depresses them ( hit 3 ), and their family interferes. What do you think he feels about his families interference? I can tell it impacts considerably on the relationship (I often throw in a statement at the end of an open ended question to help reinforce the prediction).

Your client: Well, I’m not sure. I know there were problems between him and his Mother when he was a child, and you’re right, it does impact on the relationship. He doesn’t talk about it much and I think his drinking is getting worse. I’m worried about him. What do you think will happen with his career?

You: Things are getting more difficult for him. Particularly with his Employer. Have you tried {this is where you give the client advice} to improve things?

And so on.

So the next time you do a Tarot reading, pay attention to the story and the accuracy of your predictions — and then pay just as much attention to your client. Construct the story in such a way that encourages discussion and conversation. Get your clients involved. Learn about their experiences. Have them talk about themselves.

Don’t you think that it makes all the difference to how enjoyable an experience it is, not just for them, but for you? Yes or no, let me know.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Eon Quiz I – Health Question
• Why Reading Tarot Cards Like A Book Doesn’t Work
• How to Create Client Profiles and Turbo Charge Your Tarot Study!
• Killing The Tarot Spread: How and Why I Ditched Positional Layouts
• What You Can’t See: Why Focusing On The Cards That Aren’t There Is Important!

So, I’m thinking of adding a Forum to the blog.

But I’m not talking about replacing the blog — but adding forums as another way to discuss the topic. This blog would continue to operate as normal.

I’m thinking that the best way to handle this would be to keep the forums specific; a sort of bare-bones approach. Currently, I’m planning on having only two or three main topics — it keeps it specific whilst being more than enough to cover what I talk about.

Here is a brief outline of the way I see things:

Pros

• Forums would give readers a place to post their own thoughts and experience.
• Increased community.
• Questions can be answered better. I sometimes get questions from people — some of which I’m able to answer but many of which I don’t have time to respond adequately. The people I do answer are limited to my perspective. Forums might see answers found for more questions, from a variety of different perspectives.
• Forums would give space for ongoing discussion on topics — one of the frustrations I have with blogging is that comment threads tend to die off when the next post comes out. As a result conversations can end prematurely.
• Depending on the forums created, it could be great for people looking to sharpen their reading skills. Perhaps we could have some sort of readers exchange where people post a difficult set of cards and other people offer their interpretations? Or, we could have a place to discuss techniques?

Cons

• There is a risk of inactive forums — there is nothing worse that going to a site’s forums to see inactivity.
• Distraction from the blog — some people I’ve floated this idea with have suggested that it could detract from the blog itself. My own opinion is that this could happen but that it could also add to and supplement the blog really well. Interested in your thoughts on this one.

I’m certain that there are many more Pros and Cons but I’m not going to exhaust the list here and now. I’d rather hear your opinion.

Update

Phine suggested that I allow people to vote, which I thought was a great idea. I’ve also placed the poll in the sidebar.

Are forums a good idea for Tarot Eon? Why/Why not? Would you use them? What areas would you like them to cover? Your ideas and thoughts will be greatly appreciated.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Where have I been — Followed by a super cool Tarot Tip
• Exciting New Competition: You Could Win a $50 Divination Teleseminar for Free here at Tarot Eon!
• October Contest Winners Are Announced
• September Contest Winners Are Announced
• Free Tarot Reading Giveaway At Tarot Eon

The Tarot’s story is your story. Savor it. When you are finished reading it — you will be someone else.

By: Lon Milo Duquette

A very popular meditative technique is to divide and combine the 22 Trumps.

This article will look at 8 meditations with the Major Arcana. The general idea is to use the following information as a spring board for further experimentation. The meditations are about discovering, or rediscovering, patterns — relationships between the cards that have significance. The pattern might hint at some aspect of life that has not been considered, or, it may point to an aspect of consciousness that illuminates something specific for you.

Each of these meditations involves some level of preparation; all involve dividing the 22 cards into groups. The meditation itself is about finding ways to combine them again. This is done through the discovery of patterns. These patterns help to deepen our connection to Tarot.

Some of the following 8 meditations are well known, others not so. Before we begin, let’s look at two very general ways of interpreting, and meditating on the Major Arcana.

Check out Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom by Rachel Pollack, to read more about these two general methods.

1. First general method

One way of interpreting the Major Arcana is to consider each card as representing something meaningful to the individual. For instance, the Emperor represents mastery of self, the Fool represents uncorrupted innocence, the Temperance card represents the alchemical process of turning the base metal (personality) into gold etc.

The really interesting thing about this approach is that it doesn’t really depend upon the sequence of the Trumps. For instance, the number 1 belongs to the Magician, not because the sequence of the Trumps is significant, but because the number 1 represents certain ideas that belong to the Magician — the Will, First Cause, Being, Unity (Jung classified a whole series of what he called ‘unifying’ symbols.)

2. Second general method

This approach is almost the opposite of the first. In this approach, the sequence of the Trumps is important. The High Priestess is numbered two because that is where she belongs. She can only exist in between the Magician and the Empress. In this method of classifying the Major Arcana, the sequence of the Trumps is critical. Each card belongs to one specific point within the whole 22 card sequence.

Overall, these two general approaches to meditating on the Major Arcana are not to be thought of as distinct and separate. Rather, it’s when we combine both these approaches into one meditation that things start to get interesting. The following examples build upon this idea.

3. Use the Wheel of Fortune

A very popular method involves splitting the Major Arcana into two groups. Every card from the Fool to the Hermit belongs to one group and every card from Lust (or Justice) to the Universe belongs to another. These two groups are divided by one card; the Wheel of Fortune.

Part of the reason for this method’s popularity is its simplicity. It divides the 22 Trump cards into two groups and it uses the Wheel of Fortune (a very potent and symbolic choice) as the divider. Ask yourself, what does the Wheel of Fortune divide, in life, and within consciousness?

In many ways its simplicity is deceptive. I’ve found my relationship with the 22 Trumps deepen as a direct result of this meditation.

Excercise

1. Deal the cards out into two lines. Make sure you start the second line after the Wheel of Fortune.
2. Look for patterns.
3. Ask yourself what these patterns mean.
4. Pair the cards together. Pick a card from the top column and pair that with the card directly beneath it on the bottom column. What does this pairing communicate to you?
5. Meditate on the concept of two groups. What does group one have in common? What does group two have in common? What does the number two suggest?

4. Three groups of seven

Another slightly more complex approach is to split the 22 Major Arcana into three groups.

1. Take the Fool card and place it to one side.
2. We now have 21 Cards that can be divided into three groups of seven.
3. The first column is the Magician to the Chariot.
4. The second column is the Justice card to Temperance.
5. The third column is the Devil to the Universe card.

Like all these meditations, the idea is to look for patterns within the division of the Trumps. Meditation on these patterns can reveal things about Nature, the Universe and Consciousness.

For instance, by placing the Fool to one side, what significance does it have? Does it say something about the role of the Fool — that it can go anywhere and doing anything? That it can exist anywhere within the sequence of the Trumps … and nowhere? Or does it say something about our attitudes to the Fool — we are, after all, banishing him to the corner! Are Fools things that we reject, cast aside and avoid? If so, what does that say about us?

In my humble opinion, simply meditating on how this meditation excludes the Fool can profoundly shape how we see the relationships between the Trumps.

Excercise

1. Do the three columns represent something specific about the Major Arcana? Does every card in the second column (or every card in the first or third column for that matter) share something in common? If so, what might that be?
2. Again, look for patterns between the columns? Does the Chariot, Temperance and Universe cards have something in common?
3. Find different patterns and ask yourself what these patterns mean.
4. Use Elemental Dignities to determine the relationships between the cards. Pick a card from the top column and combine that with the cards directly beneath it to produce a three card reading. What does this reading communicate to you?
5. Meditate on the concept of three groups. What does group one have in common? What does group two have in common? What does group three have in common? Meditate on the number three.

5. Card count the sequence

Deal the 22 cards out in a single line. If you know how to card count you can begin to notice patterns between the Trumps which are often illuminating.

I used to do this a lot when I was first learning the Tarot, and still find it a really useful meditation. Start by selecting a Trump card to count from. Once you have made your choice count from it and see where it takes you. Do this for all the 22 Trump cards and see what kinds of relationships you can observe. Are there cards that are continuously being counted on? Is there a card that is never counted upon? If there is such a card, what hidden potential could that reveal?

Example

As an example, I’ve picked the Fool.

Here is the order of the Count, with a brief description of the meditation I did:

1. The Fool: The root of consciousness.
2. The Priestess: The formation of consciousness
3. Fortune: Human being born
4. Moon: First experience of life. Initial observations. Time exists — with day/night, light/dark.
5. Chariot: Human engaging with life. The development of identity.
6. Moon: Attempts to control life fails. The irrational always looms. The hidden causes fear.

Don’t feel you need to restrict your counting to any one card, you can pick any card you like. Why not begin with your birthday card, the Trump represented by your astrological sun sign?

6. Meditate on the elements

For this mediation, start by counting how many Fire cards there are. How many Water cards, how many Air cards and how many Earth cards there are. What patterns does this suggest? Does this tell us anything about Consciousness, Nature or the Universe?

The key to this meditation is observation. Take some time to get a sense of what the Elemental distribution indicates. Notice how the Elements divide the Major Arcana and spend some time looking at patterns that combine them. This is a very passive meditation that, over time, changes the way you think about the Trumps.

7. Kabbalah

The Hebrew alphabet is central to the Kabbalah, and for people who use Occult decks, the Tarot.

The idea is this: the 22 letters were involved in the creation of the Universe. There are 22 letters and 22 Trumps and at some point in history, the connection between the two was made. Most occult decks now display a Hebrew letter for each of the 22 Trumps.

This meditation involves exploring how the Hebrew Alphabet divides the 22 Major Arcana into groups.

Essentially, you have the 3 Mother letters, the 7 Single letters and the 12 Double letters. Applied to the Tarot, these are the three elemental (Fool, Hanged Man and Aeon) cards, seven planetary and twelve zodiacal cards.

Although there are different ways to attribute the Hebrew letters to the Trump cards, I’ve learned via the Thoth Tarot and have stuck with that ever since.

The standard sequence of most modern day Tarot cards conforms to the Tarot de Marseilles sequence. The Thoth Tarot also follows the Golden Dawn’s scheme of attributing certain Hebrew letters and their corresponding elemental, planetary and zodiacal attributions — with one exception. Crowley restructured the sequence of the Thoth deck for reasons I don’t fully understand. I’m not sure many people do. However, if you consider the sequence of the Trumps as important, then figuring out the reasons why he did it could be a valuable meditation.

Excercise

This meditation grows in effectiveness the more time is spent considering the role of the Hebrew Alphabet within the 22 cards. Meditate on each of the Hebrew letters and their attribution to the Major arcana. What relationships do they have? How does this deepen our understanding?

8. Gender

I learned this meditation from Lon Milo Duquette’s, Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot. In his book, Lon Milo Duquette attempts to explain a passage from the Book of Thoth … the end result is this meditation.

There are eight Trumps — the Fool, the Magus, the High Priestess, the Empress, the Emperor, the Hierophant, the Hermit and the Star. According to Crowley, these Trumps are to be seen as representing something “to be observed.” Lon Milo Duquette calls them, First Class Trumps.

These first class Trumps are divided, by Gender, into three categories.

1. The Fool and the Magus are hermaphrodite.
2. The High Priestess, the Empress and the Star show the Feminine Symbol (Yin) in three forms corresponding to a Triune Goddess.
3. The Emperor, the Hierophant, and the Hermit show the Masculine symbol in three forms — the Fathers. They are the compliment to the High Priestess, the Empress and the Star.

Lon Milo Duquette describes the remaining fourteen Trumps as second class Trumps.

The second class Trumps, according to Lon, represents one or more of the first class Trumps. Lon describes how this can occur in three ways.

1. As an expression of the character and behavior of the first class Trump when it is combined with one or more of its seven fellows.
2. As an expression of how the first class Trump functions.
3. As an expression of how the first class Trump manifests.

Essentially, the idea behind this meditation is to figure out what second class Trumps are an outward expression of the first class Trumps.

Below is the mysterious passage from the Book of Thoth that forms the foundations to this meditation:

It is especially to be observed that the three consecutive letters, Gimel, Daleth, He (Atu 11, 111, XV11) show the Feminine Symbol (Yin) in three forms corresponding to the Triune Goddess. This Trinity is immediately followed by the three corresponding and complementary Fathers, Vau, Tzaddi, Yod (Atu 1V, V, 1X). The Trumps 0 and 1 are hermaphrodite. The remaining fourteen Trumps represent these Primordial Quintessences of Being in conjunction, function, or manifestation.

Example

The way I approach this meditation is to begin by removing the first-class Trumps. Place the hermaphrodites on one line, the Triune Goddesses on another and the Fathers on the third. Take the remaining 14 second class Trumps and shuffle them. Whenever you feel ready, deal out a second class Trump and meditate on which of the first class Trumps would manifest it.

As an example, I dealt out the Hanged Man. On meditating on this card, I felt the High Priestess and the Hermit would be expressed through the character of the Hanged Man. I also felt that the Hanged Man showed how the High Priestess functions and how the Hermit manifests.

Another example would be the Moon card. On meditating upon this second class Trump, I felt the Hierophant and the Fool would be expressed through the character of the Moon. I also felt that the Moon showed how the Fool functions and how the Hierophant manifests.

Summary

…the trumps are a universal alphabet of images and, no matter how we throw them together, they are bound to spell something.

By: Lon Milo Duquette

The 8 meditations that I’ve listed above are only a tiny fraction of the number of ways that someone could divide and combine the Major Arcana. What about dividing them according to astrology, alchemy or even colour? The possibilities are endless. I’d love to hear what you all think about these meditations. Is there anyone who finds meditation of this sort a waste of time? Or, if anyone meditates on the 22 Major Arcana using a different method, and wants to share it, I’d love to hear about it.

Image by and credit to: Deepak Gupta

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• Tarot Card Confusion
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• Why Reading Tarot Cards Like A Book Doesn’t Work
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Few things in life are guaranteed. This is especially true if you’re a Tarot reader.

But this one rule — the Rule of 2 — is guaranteed. Iron clad.

Doesn’t matter who you are, how you read, or how hard you try to prove this wrong.

You won’t.

You can’t. The Rule of 2 will make your Tarot readings better. Every time. No exceptions.

Want to be a better Tarot reader?

Here’s what you do:

After you have made your predictions to the client, provide them with choices by converting the Tarot cards from passive forces into active ones.

That’s it.

No matter what type of Tarot reading you’re giving — career, relationships, health — if you give the client the option to change the outcome by converting the Tarot cards from passive events into something the client can do …

… you have my iron-clad, 100 percent guarantee that you’ll deliver a better reading.

Every time. Dependable as death, taxes and comedy.

How exactly does this work?

Simple.

Each Tarot card can be read in two ways. The first way is passively, and the second is actively. The first way is how we generally make predictions — the 5 of Cups means the client will experience loss, the 9 of Disks means the client will inherit money etc. The second way is how we give advice.

Here’s how it works:

1. Deliver the Tarot reading as normal. Read the cards passively. State what the future will be like for the client. Explain the outcome to their questions.
2. At the end of the reading, if they are unsure of how to proceed, provide them with some choices.
3. Do this by converting the relevant Tarot cards into active forces.

I’ll let Crowley explain:

“The Five of Wands is therefore a personality; the nature of this is summed up in the Tarot by calling it “Strife”…This means that, if used passively in divination, one says, when it turns up, ‘There is going to be a fight’. If used actively, it means that the proper course of conduct is to contend.”

The Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley p43

Notice that he hasn’t said that the proper course of conduct is to become a bad person. He hasn’t said, go out and be immoral. No, all he has said is, “contend.” Start fighting for your rights.

What if we replace that card with the 3 of Swords?

Does that mean that we tell people to go out and stab someone in the heart? No, of course not.

But what if we said, “In order to get your life back, you’re going to have to break his/her heart?”

Does that sound so bad?

If we just stopped our Tarot reading dead after reading the Tarot cards passively, the client would have walked away thinking that the future holds nothing but grief and sorrow. This way, the Tarot offers them a way to liberate themselves … the liberation in the form of action: sever the links to someone who causes you pain.

We have definitive steps the client can take to improve their future. End the relationship, as difficult as that is, and things will get better. Remember, this isn’t just advice we have plucked out of thin air. This is advice based on the Tarot cards in front of us.

The main thrust of the rule of 2 is to read the exact same cards in two different ways. You go from reading the cards as passive events that will happen to the client, onto providing advice and options based on the active force behind the cards.

What if the client doesn’t need advice?

Are you sure?

More often than not, people seek out a Tarot reading because something is confusing them. They don’t know what to do, or they want clarity where they have none.

By using the rule of 2 and switching the cards from their passive to active roles, we automatically provide options. And here is the really important point. We’re not making it up. We are not bringing our own emotions, feelings or morality into the reading. We are remaining absolutely impartial. By trusting the Tarot to deliver the right advice to the client, we free ourselves of the responsibility to guess what the right course of conduct might be.

And the really good thing about this — it requires no extra investment of our time. The Tarot has done all the heavy lifting. All we have to do is interpret.

Two readings for the price of one

The rule of 2 provides the client with two readings for the price of one.

This technique is efficient because we use the same cards throughout. We don’t need to deal out two spreads — a future spread then an advice spread. Both possibilities already exist within the Tarot cards themselves … at any one time.

If the client likes what the future offers then the advice is simple — “keep doing what you’re doing.”

If the client wants to change their future — then use the same Tarot cards to convert outcomes into options.

This doesn’t just apply to external forces. For the more psychological reader, this technique is still valid. For instance, the 8 of Swords could indicate that you interfere with your own plans; self-sabotage. Converting that passive interpretation into an active one, we could say, “Interfere with the interference.” The Tarot has given you the problem and the solution all within one card. This approach encourages awareness.

Exercise!

A good way to practice this technique is to deal out some Tarot cards and convert them into active forces.

Ask yourself questions to help you make the switch from passive to active. What advice do they offer? What proactive approach is the card suggesting the client take? Here is a short list to help get you started.

• 3 of Swords: Sever all ties. Break their heart … and leave.
• 5 of Cups: Let someone down.
• Tower: Attack — Cry “Havoc!” and let slip the dogs of war.
• 5 of Swords Accept the price you will have to pay and make it happen at any cost.
• 8 of Swords: Think before you speak.
• 8 of Cups: Abandon everything!

Combinations

1. 9 of Swords, 2 of Cups: Be cruel to be kind.
2. 5 of Disks, 6 of Cups: Time to look after yourself, not other people.
3. 10 of Wands, 7 of Disks: Micro-management will get you nowhere. Time to delegate.

You get the idea!

By using the rule of two you will deliver better and more effective Tarot readings each and every time … Guaranteed!

I’d love to hear your thoughts on this technique. Let me know if you agree or disagree with it. What problems do you foresee using it? Want a place to practice this technique? Share and discuss it here, talk about it amongst yourselves — let’s learn from each other.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• How to Troubleshoot a Tarot Reading when it makes no Sense
• Predicting The Future: Why A Tarot Reader Must Make A Decision!
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I’ve been thinking a lot lately about how to help people with their Tarot readings. I started to write a post covering a technique that I claimed would, “… Blow your mind!” But the truth is, no single technique is ever going to miraculously produce good readings, like so many things in Tarot, the circumstances will determine its success. And more often than not, it’s a combination of techniques that, when combined together, produce the best insight.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m a massive fan of techniques and I use them all the time, but what I’m saying is that there is more to learning the Tarot than just techniques. On top of techniques we have to learn the right attitude, how to relax, how to enjoy it and how to flow with it. All these additional skills combine to let the intuition of the Tarot reader flow.

So, yes we have techniques, but we also have so much more. Techniques can be learned in a relativity short space of time, while all the other personal attributes that a Tarot reader has to acquire will develop at its own pace.

So, rather than write about a killer technique that’s going to blow your mind, I thought I’d write about something that is a little bit more useful — how to troubleshoot when a Tarot readings doesn’t make sense.

Troubleshooting & The skill of asking questions!

How do we troubleshoot a Tarot reading? In a nutshell: Ask questions.

When something is confusing it is often because we don’t understand it, and the best way to translate confusion into something that makes sense is to ask questions.

I’ve recently talked about using rationality as a way to access intuition and asking questions is kind of similar; not identical by any means, but it does rely on the logical mind to get things flowing again.

If a reading gets to the stage that we need to do some troubleshooting then its because our intuition didn’t pick up on anything, or we blocked it somehow, or we had an aversion to certain cards, or we had expectations for what the spread will say. Whatever the reason, approach it by asking yourself some questions.

Here is a list of five questions to ask yourself next time a Tarot reading doesn’t make sense — and five solutions.

1. Do you have expectations?

Expectations are the killers of good Tarot readings. They destroy objectivity and impartiality.

When we do readings for friends, family or ourselves, we tend to have expectations (hopes even) for what cards should appear where. When that doesn’t happen, we can get confused.

Objectivity and impartiality aren’t easy things to develop. The truth is, humans can never be completely objective or completely impartial, all we can do is expected the unexpected.

Enter each Tarot reading with an open mind.

2. Are you having an adverse reaction to certain cards?

We all have Tarot cards that are difficult to understand or cause an adverse reaction in us. Take a moment and ask yourself, “Why does this card irritate me?”

More often than not, the reasons that the card produces such an adverse reaction is because you’re not being impartial. Sure, from a psychological perspective the adverse reaction would hint that you need to work with the character represented by that card, but on a practical level, you’re not being impartial.

Next time a Tarot card produces an adverse reaction in you, stop for a moment. Recognise that this card is producing an emotional response that is clouding your ability to interpret the other cards. Allow yourself to fully feel whatever emotions that card has invoked in you and then, let them go.

3. Are a minority of Tarot cards conflicting with the majority?

Regardless of what Tarot spread you use, there will always be a minority of cards that conflict with the majority. What do you do?

Combine the cards that are confusing you with the outcome card.

As an example: let’s take the 5 of Swords and the 9 of Swords as the cards that are confusing me with the Ace of Wands which, in our example, shall be the outcome card. A possible interpretation is to say that a career opportunity will be successful, despite attempts by a colleague to thwart it. Expect the use of underhanded methods, the
consequences of which will live with the client for a long time.

I solved my confusion by using my imagination to isolate the difficult minority. I combined them together with the outcome card, produced a snippet of a story and then, having done that, I would reintroduce them back into the overall reading.

Effectively, you combine the cards together so that they form a story. Don’t read these types of cards separately or in isolation; definitely don’t read them according to just their position within the spread. Always approach this problem by combining the cards together to form their own story, from there you can reinterpret the rest of the reading accordingly.

4. Are you confused by a bad card landing in an outcome position when all the other cards appear favorable?

As always, ask how objective or detached you’re being.

On a more practical level, try and interpret the card as something external to the client. The best way to get to grips with any Tarot card is to read it literally. If the outcome card is the 10 of Swords, then the object of the client’s question will result in failure and the ruin of their plans. Try not to read the 10 of Swords as a psychological process that the client is undergoing. Reading that way will add to your confusion. The 10 of Swords has appeared for a specific reason — to let the client know that it will fail. This is not as bad as it seems. It actually creates the possibility for free-choice. Look to the other cards to determine what things the client can do to alter the outcome.

If you’re faced with the dilemma of reading the cards as psychological processes or actual real world events, then always, always read them as objective events — never psychological.

5. Are you confused by contradictions within the spread itself?

This is another common cause of confusion. This type of problem tends to occur more when the Tarot reader uses a positional based spread as opposed to a linear based spread.

Consider the following examples:

• The spread has a position called, “What are your strengths?” Now, imagine how confusing it might be if the 5 of Swords was dealt?
• The spread has a position called, “What are your weaknesses?” Now, imagine how confusing it might be if the Sun card was dealt?

These types of contradictions will happen all the time when you read with positional based spreads. The first thing you have to do is convert the card from a passive force, into an active one. In the case of the 5 of Swords, the person’s strengths are their ability to defeat their enemies at any cost. In the case of the Sun, arrogance and vanity might be their weakness.

Remember what makes a great Tarot reading!

Learning how to troubleshoot a Tarot reading helps to develop the right attitude. This is such an important part of Tarot reading that I can’t stress it enough. It’s the attitude you bring to the reading, your objectivity, your impartiality, your ability to relax, your ability to trust, your ability to enjoy it and to flow with it, that makes all the difference. Having the patience to troubleshoot will strengthen those qualities and over time, make you a better reader.

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Have you ever asked yourself that question? I know I have.

When I was learning the Tarot, fortune telling was talked about as one of the most evil practices known to man. Not only was it a bad thing, but it was degrading the true purpose of Tarot. Ah, but divination was different. That was a good thing. That was something that only true Tarot readers did; those elite Tarot readers who wouldn’t dare debase themselves with the gypsy practice of fortune telling.

If you were like me, you would have asked yourself, “what exactly is the difference here?”

Now I know times have changed and people don’t think about, or write about Tarot in the same they did when I was learning but still, fortune telling is not a word Tarot readers want to use at a Tarot Convention.

I once did an experiment where I advertised myself as a Fortune Teller and then, after a month or so, I switched to diviner. If I’m honest, I did this for financial reasons. I wanted to find out if the difference between these two words would generate more income. Or, as a side benefit, would I prefer to read for one group over the other. Perhaps the Fortune-Teller group would be easier (that was my reasoning anyway) to read for than the Divination group?

Sadly, the differences were none existent. As much as that disappointed me, it did raise the question, “does the distinction only matter to people who study Tarot?”

The Quiz

Here’s the question:

1. What do you think the differences between Divination and Fortune telling are?
2. Is there one?
3. If not, why do people prefer to use one term over the other?
4. Does the concept of Free-Will, or Free-Choice (to quote Arthur Waite) make a difference? Does it influence which term we use?
5. Is Divination the more politically correct term for the same things as Fortune-Telling?

I’d love to know what your thoughts are on this one. I’ll see you in the comments!

One last thing, you may be pleased to know that nowadays I simply advertise myself as a Tarot reader

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A statue of Moses

Whether you’re new to Tarot or have been working with Tarot for many years, the Kabbalah has always been there.

That wasn’t always the case. The Tarot existed independently of the Kabbalah for around 350 years. Take a moment to imagine what the Tarot might have been like without the current Hermetic Qabbalistic influence to shape it?

I know we have never known a world were the Tarot wasn’t connected to the Kabbalah, but for 350 years there existed a Tarot that developed, grew, and had a character quite unrecognisable with the Tarot of today.

It wasn’t until the Comte de Mellet in 1781 wrote an article that connected the 22 Hebrew letters with the 22 Major Arcana, that the Kabbalah and Tarot were united. Eliphas Levi later developed this idea by linking the four suits of the Tarot with the four letters of Tetragrammaton, YHVH.

I would argue that it was the philosophical developments of the 15th century when, the first attempts were made to incorporate Jewish Tradition with Christian mysticism, that eventually set the stage for future generations to develop modern Hermeticism (culminating with the Golden Dawn).

For most present day people who study the Tarot, the Kabbalah is an ever present influence. It’s simply there. It shapes the creation of new decks and the divinatory definitions used by most Tarot readers.

If you’re like me, you first came in contact with the Kabbalah (what could be considered Hermetic Qabalah) fairly early on in your Tarot career. You may have read about it in a Tarot book or seen Kabbalistic symbols used in a Tarot deck, either way, the link between Tarot and Kabbalah was made.

The Kabbalah is a very important area of the Tarot to understand, if for no other reason other than to recognise and have clarity of thought on how the development of Tarot has been shaped (profoundly shaped) by the influence of Kabbalah.

And as one discusses Hermetic Qabalism, one of necessity refers to the Golden Dawn as its primary modern expression. Hermetic Qabalah and Golden Dawn must be considered virtually synonymous.

— p3 The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy by Robert Wang.

Most Tarot card definitions, Tarot card symbols, theoretical frameworks and the numbering of the Trumps, amongst other things, have all been influenced by the Golden Dawn’s understanding and use of Hermetic Qabalism and symbol (specifically, the Tree of Life).

The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn … The leaders of that fraternity performed the remarkable task of unifying the disparate elements of the Western Mystery Tradition (Qabalah, Hermeticism, Astrology, Neoplatonism, Dee’s Enochian Magic, etc.) in such a way that it formed a coherent method of inner exploration for the fin de siecle temperament.

— p3, The Qabalistic Tarot: A Textbook of Mystical Philosophy by Robert Wang.

But before we go any further, what exactly is Kabbalah? What does the word actually mean?

What does Kabbalah mean anyway?

As far as I can tell, it doesn’t seem to have one definitive meaning. Throughout the entire history of the Kabbalah, the term itself has been used in a variety of different, and sometimes contradictory ways.

In an everyday sense, the term Kabbalah is used in a surprisingly wide variety of contexts.

A visitor to the State of Israel is confronted by kabbalah several times every day. When he enters a hotel, he is obligated to face a deck, behind which a large sign reads “Kabbalah”; in English, the same sign reads “Reception.” When he purchases anything or pays for a service he receives a piece of paper on which the word “Kabbalah” is written in large Hebrew letters. If there is an English translation on that piece of paper, it reads “Reciept.” The term will pop up in scores of contexts.

— Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Joseph Dan.

Joseph continues to illustrate just how common the word Kabbalah actually is. One of the best descriptions he gives concerns the verb ‘kbl’, which he claims is present within every other sentence in Hebrew, meaning simply to ‘receive’.

That’s what the word means in an everyday context, but what about a more religious one? For that, we need to look towards the Torah.

The Torah

The talmudic tractate avot, a rabbinic Hebrew text, originating around the second century, describes, in the opening commentary, Moses receiving the Torah on mount Sinai.

According to Joseph, this paragraph has been used to justify the Jewish tradition for the last 2000 years. The term “Torah” in the talmudic tractate avot, was understood to mean everything — from ethics, to the Law, to spiritual verses, to the truth of divine origin.

Moses orally transmitted this to others.

The interesting bit & Moses’ Vision

The really interesting bit is this: Moses had already received the Torah by God. From then on, whatever someone else might discover, whatever they might seek to clarify, it had already been received by Moses. In this sense, people were only ever rediscovering an aspect of what Moses had received, not discovering it … and what Moses had received, was Kabbalah.

The religious origin of the Kabbalah was that all-encompassing revelation (of Divine Truth) transmitted to Moses by God. This revelation was then handed down from generation to generation. It is found, in part, through writing and through the oral transmission from one generation to the next. This is the Tradition of Kabbalah — “that which has been received!”

The Divine Truth that Moses received is not definable. It cannot be said that, “This specific detail was transmitted as was this, and this … ”. To do so would go against the all-encompassing, perhaps even eternal, content that God transmitted to Moses. Instead, it describes divine origin and transmission (tradition), without emphasising any particular aspect of it.

What particularly interests me is the concept of Tradition:

Essentially, this term conveys the opposite of what usually is recognised as “mysticism,” which is conceived as relating to original individual visions and experiences. Kabbalah in the Hebrew religious vocabulary means nonindividual, nonexperiential religious truth, which is received by tradition.

— Kabbalah: A Very Short Introduction (Very Short Introductions) by Joseph Dan.

Conclusion

To sum up, the word Kabbalah, up until the thirteenth century, meant:

• Received
• Tradition

After the 13^th Century, the meaning of Kabbalah changes, and it’s these changes that I’ll be exploring in a future post.

If there is anything you would like to share, I’d love to hear about it. I’ll see you in the comments .

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Admit it … you’ve wondered.

You’re studying and studying and studying, and most authors you’ve read have told you the Tree-Of-Life provides profound insights into the Universe, Tarot and Everything. They explain how the Tree-Of-Life is Real, True and most certainly a complete explanation for the way things are … but deep down, you just aren’t getting it!

But that hasn’t put you off. You’ve committed all the bizarre and outright weird attributes to memory. You try and apply Gematria to almost everything you see, and yet … you’ve wondered.

And you can’t help wondering …

Is it all a lie? What exactly is the point of this Tree.

And here in lies the problem. No one can tell you if it’s a workable framework for you, but how can it be a workable framework if it’s not real? And how will I ever know if it’s for me if I don’t work with it?

The Secret of the Tree-Of-Life

The real secret to understanding the Tree-Of-Life is to accept, straight away, that it’s completely and utterly false!

Yes, that’s right. It is a lie.

If you can accept that the Tree-Of-Life is not real, does not provide any truth about how the Universe was created, then, and only then, will you be free enough to work with it. The minute you start thinking the Tree-Of-Life is real — you’re lost.

You’re lost because you’ll start thinking that there really is a Keter, or a Malkuth, or that the Universe was really created from the Hebrew Alphabet — and at that point, how much more powerful has your rational mind become?

Keter does not exist and Malkuth is not real. They’re nowhere to be found within the Universe. What they are, in fact, are allegorical ways of understanding the Universe — not scientific realities.

In Why using Rationality to Access Intuition Works I discuss an aspect of this basic concept; that the logical part of the brain, when asked to occupy its time with irrational ideas, will eventually break allowing intuition to flow. This Idea is the corner stone of the Tree-Of-Life.

I should mention that I’m discussing the modern day version of the Tree-Of-Life (Golden Dawn onwards — or at least the point in history when Magickal practices became associated with it fully). The Kabbalah has a long history, characterized by changing (and sometimes contradictory) definitions and paradigms.

It isn’t a framework of the TRUE Universe — whatever that might be. It isn’t trying to be accurate. It doesn’t even try and be precise. Why would it do that? Science does that, not the Tree. If you want to know what reality is, look around you. Reality is all around you. The Tree-Of-Life is just a symbol, it’s not real. They say the Greater Mystery is that of the Body. Why? Because it represents what’s real, what’s actual; and what’s actual is the most mysterious thing of all.

What is the point in the Tree-Of-Life then?

There are several good reasons for learning the Tree-Of-Life. The first, it reminds people that the world of logical thought is irrelevant to meaningful encounters with divinity. Second, it’s a great memory palace. Third, it does exactly what is says on the tin — train your mind to think this way (brain wash it really) and you will begin to interpret events in this way. The real decision, the only decision, is whether or not you want your mind to be Kabbalised!

Overall, I think of the Tree-Of-Life as an allegory, an irrational framework thats sole purpose is to get that logical part of the brain out the way.

So, it’s a lie!

But what a beautiful lie!

The Swords in the Tarot represents the Logical and the Rational. The reason it’s a Sword is because, well, logic hurts. It removes us from a direct experience with Reality (that place that is all around us, not that place that is nothing more than a symbol). It hurts us, because we are thrown into a world with thousands of years worth of thoughts that hurt our ability to experience, and it hurts others when we try and convince people that our thoughts are somehow truer representations of reality than theirs.

Doug, that’s all very well and good, but what does this have to do with anything?

I occasionally get emails from people asking me whether or not I think it’s a good idea for them to learn the Tree-Of-Life. The one thing that a lot of these emails have in common is a big fear that learning the Tree-Of-Life will be a complete waste of time. Usually, most of these emails describe a point in their study where they devoted a large amount of their time and energy into learning the Tree. Rather that leaving them feeling closer to divinity and clearer about Tarot, it left them physically drained and repulsed with anything Tree-Of-Life related. This post is my attempt at helping them, and people who find themselves in a similar position.

It’s my feeling that the major cause for so many people’s unhappiness with the Tree is their lack of philosophical clarity as to what it is, and what it actually does. Knowing that it is completely false can often and does have a liberating effect where the person then feels free to either engage in further study and application or, having considered the matter, abandon their studies.

I think that if people understood that the Tree is not telling them anything about reality, nothing scientifically true anyway; then perhaps, knowing how it is completely false, a new question will emerge.

What is this question?

Do I want to brainwash my mind to the point where my experiences are related to the Tree-Of-Life effortlessly and quite beyond my conscious control, and to reflect Kabbalalistic principles and Ideas?

Remember, the Kabbalah is not real. What you’re doing is forcing your mind to process experiences as if it where real. That is the big distinction that I hope people reading this understand.

What do you think of what I’ve written? Do you agree or disagree with it? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this. I’ll see you in the comments

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It’s been a while since I posted and I want to let everyone know what I’ve been doing, how I see Tarot Eon changing and, afterward, to let you know about a super cool Tarot related Technique that I’ve been using.

Recently I’ve been looking over a lot of Kabbalah related material. I’m not entirely sure what inspired me to go back over old ground but I’m learning and understanding things in a way that I hadn’t before. Foolishly, I didn’t feel it was good enough to write about. I felt I had to really understand what I was learning before I could post about it. This, I now realise, was a mistake.

From now on, I’m going to be writing posts on anything that I find interesting, or inspiring — just like the technique I’ll be explaining near the end of this post.

Does that mean poorly written posts?

No — but it does mean that they won’t be complete explanations of the subject matter in question. Personally, I now think this is a great thing. Rather than cover the subject in one post, I might take 3 or 4 posts to do it. As I learn, so shall you. Likewise, rather than providing all the background information to a technique, I might just quickly explain how to do it. This will really free me up to start posting on things that are fascinating me in that moment, rather than, as I’ve been doing, waiting several months before I write them.

Don’t get me wrong, I’ll still be writing posts the way I always have. The big change I want to make is to start writing about things as I’m learning them.

I foresee a lot more interactive learning going on — between you, dear reader, and me. I’d really love to hear people’s opinions on this. If you don’t like this idea, let me know and I’ll take it under consideration. If a lot of you don’t like it, then I won’t do it. Tarot Eon is as much about you as it is me.

Super Cool Tarot Tip

Now for the more interesting part. This is an awesome little thought experiment that I’ve been conducting, pretty much daily. It comes from the Kabbalistic side of things, but its really helped me to connect with Tarot in a new, and rather rejuvenating way.

The technique itself is designed to help people with the symbolism of Tarot (and Kabbalah should you wish), in a very gentle, lighthearted, but powerful way. One of the really cool features of this technique is that it can be used and practiced at any time, at any place, whenever you feel like it. In other words, you don’t need a Tarot deck when practicing this technique!

The Technique

1. Whilst walking around, get into the habit of attributing things to their appropriate Tarot card.
2. On seeing a car, I reflect on the Chariot card.
3. On seeing the Sun, Moon or Stars, I reflect on the Sun, Moon or Star Trump card.
4. When ever I desire a cigarette, or a smoke of my Pipe, or whenever an addiction or desire begins to rule my actions, I reflect on the Devil.
5. Whenever some good fortune, luck or strange coincidence occurs, I reflect on the Wheel of Fortune.
6. Whenever I see a building in the process of being demolished, or one that stands in ruin, or whenever I see something that used to work but now lies broken, I attribute it to the Tower card.

Okay, not very exciting, right? But there’s no need to stop with those simple examples. Build upon them. I’ve started attributing Ideas and Concepts to the Tarot. For instance, whenever I encounter dishonesty I think of the Magus card poorly dignified.

But, we can go beyond even this. We can get into the habit of attributing all types of human experience to the Tarot cards, as we encounter them in our daily lives. For instance, whenever I encounter faith (9 of Swords, Star card etc), or laughter (Devil card, Three of Cups etc), or singing (3 of Swords), or money, or debt, or walking, or Schools, or whatever else I may encounter during the course of the day, I can attribute that to a Tarot card.

As you can see, this is an amazingly powerful yet beautifully simple and relaxed approach to integrating the Tarot into our lives. It’s useful in that it doesn’t even require you to have your Tarot deck ready, or to allocate some special time during the day in which to practice it. To me, that’s the sign of a great technique.

I’ve only been doing this for the last week and already I’m beginning to notice a different type of clarity forming during my Tarot readings.

The inspiration for this idea came from Magick without Tears. The link I’ve provided takes you straight to the online version of this book, where you’ll be able to read about applying this technique in greater detail. It’s especially useful if you want to integrate the Kabbalah into your practice.

Give it a go and let me know how you get on. Also, if you discover something while using this technique that I haven’t mentioned or you think would be super useful for other people, I’d really enjoy hearing about it.

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