Sometimes, the client just wants to be told what they want to hear.

Are you always truthful with them? Do you answer them honestly, or do you indulge them?

Whenever you’ve been asked if the husband is cheating on the wife, or if the father is really stealing money from the mother, or if they will be able to pay their debt, or whether or not they will get married, or pregnant, or whatever — are you always honest?

I’m not.

There, I admitted it.

There are plenty of times I get asked questions that I know the client doesn’t want the answer to. A lot of factors come into play on how I deal with these questions; some of them ethical, some of them unethical. I have to decide what the consequences are; I have to make sure they’re not vulnerable and I also have to consider the financial implications of telling them the truth.

How many times have you fallen into the trap of being honest only to find out that you’ve lost a client — what about the negative press afterward and the impact on your business?

There are also plenty of ethical reasons for why you won’t answer a client’s question — how vulnerable they are being one of them.

Although, at first glance, it seems that you should always tell the truth, it’s my experience that this doesn’t always help either the client, or you.

I’m asking this poll to see where the Tarot community stands on this issue. Do you always tell the truth? Are you always ethical, or are you basing your decisions on something other than ethics?

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Poll Results: Should Tarot Eon have a Forum?
• Is there a difference between Divination and Fortune Telling?
• Tarot Eon Quiz › Part II › Conclusion
• Are Tarot Readers Accountable For Their Tarot Readings?
• Eon Quiz and Robust approaches to Tarot Readings

It’s been one month since I asked, “Should Tarot Eon have a Forum?”

63 people voted on this poll and 52 voted yes.

But what does that mean?

It simply means that I’m going to go ahead with the forum. I’m still not sure when I’ll launch because I’m still in the process of fixing potential long–term problems. As things stand I would hope to have this project up and running within a month.

This forum will be a place where people can get help … and give help.

Tarot Eon is a small blog with a small community of Tarot enthusiasts. I want to keep it that way. This forum is not meant to rival other big Tarot forums. Rather, it will be a small place that will be used to fulfill a specific purpose — a practical place that solves problems.

More on that later.

In the meantime, I’ve enjoyed using polls and would like to have a poll running every month on Tarot related subjects (such as, “do you read with reversed Tarot cards” etc). I’ll leave the current poll running for the next day or two before I launch a brand new one. Any suggestions?

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• New poll: Are you always honest with the client?
• Should Tarot Eon Add Forums?

“What am I doing wrong?” I whispered to the Tarot cards.

A part of me wanted to grab my coat, say goodbye to the client, and abandon reading Tarot cards forever.

And yet, there I was, battling through my own inner-doubt to name a date. Somewhere in that Tarot spread was an answer, and I was going to find it.

Up until that point, I’d never really known how to apply the astrological associations to a Tarot reading. Sure, I had successes, but never consistent successes and I never did manage to battle my self-doubts with that particular reading. I left defeated, but awoke the next morning with two singular ideas.

My mind had been working on the problem as I slept and, it worked. I’m going to share it with you.

It’s all about perception

Knowing what Tarot cards to select is a question of perception.

The idea goes something like this:

Our perception of the world around us is not a true depiction of what is actually there. We perceive, to a large extent, what we expect to perceive. Our expectations — and therefore our perceptions — are biased by three factors:

1. The past: our experience
2. The present: the current context
3. The future: our goals

1. Perception biased by experience

Have a look at the young woman below.

Did you see her?

Now what if I told you that the picture above is of an old woman? If you look again, you’ll be able to see her.

Notice how expectations bias perception? Initially I asked you to look at an image of a young woman — that is what you expected to see. But imagine if I initially asked you to look at an image of an old woman? Do you see how expectations bias perception?

And perception makes or breaks a Tarot reading. If you look for very specific information in your Tarot spread, you run the risk of being blind to other interpretations.

Implications for Tarot and Astrology

Reinterpretation

Recognise that there is always another way to interpret exactly the same Tarot cards. When using a positional based Tarot spread that has an outcome position, avoid the trap of expecting to use that card to predict when the event will happen.

2. Perception biased by current context

The current context, in terms of selecting cards to predict when events will happen, is a largely visual process.

To understand this visual process better, let’s use reading (as in books, not Tarot cards) as an example. For instance, the word in which a letter appears may influence how we interpret that word.

Similarly, our overall comprehension of a sentence can influence what words we see in it. For example the same word can be interpreted differently depending on the surrounding words.

I’ve focused on visual perception, but all five senses do contribute to perception bias. For instance:

• what we hear can bias what we see and vice versa
• what we see can bias what we feel; what we smell etc.

Recognizing a letter, a word, a face, or any object includes neural activity stimulated by the context. This context includes objects, events and even reactivated memories of previous objects and events.

Implications for Tarot and Astrology

Be in the moment

What I hope to show with this article is how perception is greatly influenced by past experience, context and goals. These three factors are responsible for an inaccurate interpretation of experience. Now, we are all subject to these limitations, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t break free from these limitations.

When doing a Tarot reading, remain in the moment; remain open to different interpretations; remain open to a dramatic change of Tarot reading style (do not let a past victory blind you to only one interpretation).

3. Perception biased by goals

Our perception is also influenced by our goals and plans for the future. Specifically, our goals filter our perceptions; things unrelated to our goals tend to be filtered out preconsciously, never registering in our conscious minds.

For example, some people I know, when doing a Tarot reading, scan the information quickly and superficially looking for a yes/no answer.

Although this is usually only a beginners mistake, it is worth pointing out that goal driven behavior adversely influences your ability to interpret a Tarot reading — particularly because you’re looking for something specific (such as astrological information to determine when an event will happen).

It’s not that they ignore the information unrelated to their goal, they don’t even see it.

To illustrate what I mean, briefly look at the image below and try and spot the sledge hammer.

Did you find it? Now, without looking back at the image, can you say whether there is a pair of scissors too?

Implications for Tarot and Astrology

Be childlike

The filtering of perception by our goals is particularly true of adults, who tend to be more focused on goals than children are. Children are more stimulus driven: their perception is less filtered by their goals. This makes children less biased as observers.

For instance, send an adult to go into your kitchen and look inside a drawer for a pair of scissors. When the person returns, ask whether another specific item was in the drawer. Most adults won’t be able to answer you. Next, send a child to complete the same task and (providing they don’t get distracted by all the cool stuff) when they return with the scissors ask them if another specific item is in the drawer. Most of the time a child will be able to provide additional information.

The implications are to be childlike with the next Tarot reading you do. Be less goal focused and more child like. Imagine you’re that kid who is being distracted by all the awesome stuff in the drawer.

Conclusion

This article covered a lot of basic information on perception that could easily have been written as a Tarot 101 guide. However, when using astrological associations with Tarot, it’s important to remember the implications that our perceptions have on our ability to provide objective Tarot readings.

Here is a list of things to remember:

• Influencing where we look: Perception is active, not passive. We constantly use our five senses to actively sample things in our environment that are most relevant to what we are doing or about to do. If we are doing a Tarot reading, remember that our past experiences, context and goals will largely determine what we perceive. By being mindful of this we can free ourselves into a more objective state of mind.
• Reinterpretation: A great Tarot reader always reinterprets the same cards within a Tarot spread. There are countless ways to perceive exactly the same Tarot cards and countless stories can be created from these. In my experience, these seemingly disjointed stories have an enormous capacity to register with the client. Just because we don’t understand them doesn’t make them any less relevant. Remember, childlike behaviour often avoids the pitfalls of a goal focused approach to reading Tarot.

What does all this have to do with Tarot and Astrology?

This article is a reminder for you to be open to different ways of perceiving the same Tarot cards. Avoid being overly goal focused, or concerned with discovering what astrological associations predict when an event will happen.

Allow for multiple interpretations of all the Tarot cards within your spread (including the ones that aren’t there) and, above all, have fun — like the child who thought that a drawer full of stuff was awesome.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Study Guide To The Beginners Tutorial To Reading Tarot Cards
• How To Communicate With The Client
• How to Approach a Reading
• Showing the structure behind the Astrological Associations
• Timing and Predicting when Events will Happen with Astrological associations

I couldn’t sleep.

Not that this was unusual — it is the immensity, I believe. The vastness of things. The darkness of dreams. I was preoccupied.

That night I found myself engaged in the most intense concentration of thought. I could sense the interconnection; the oneness of things.

The next day I bought my first Tarot deck. I sought to understand. I looked for patterns.

Over the proceeding years I became obsessed; and no more so than when I was uncovering the patterns behind Tarot and Astrology.

If you want to understand why the Golden Dawn structured Tarot and Astrology the way they did … look for patterns

… and those patterns will help you see the interconnection of things.

I’m going to help you understand this system by showing you the patterns.

The patterns

It was reading Lon Milo Duquette’s Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot, that helped me with the last stages of understanding this system. It’s with full credit to Lon that I write this article.

Pattern recognition is the number one way humans interpret experience.

When an interesting experience happens; you note the pattern. When you see the same pattern again, you know what to expect. It’s the same with Tarot readings. The recognition of patterns is what allows you to make predictions. The more patterns you notice, the sharper your predictions will be.

The quickest way for you to understand the structure behind the Golden Dawn’s astrological associations, is if I gradually introduce some specific patterns, and systematically build upon them.

This article will start from the very beginning, with each new pattern building upon the last … until they reveal themselves. This understanding will allow you to use rationality to access your intuition, and predict when events will happen.

In the last article, I said I was going to change the order in which I presented information. Normally I’d explain why something works before suggesting ways to practice. This time I think it’s much more useful to you if I show you how to do it, before I explain it. This article is a continuation of how to use this system — not an explanation.

The first pattern to become aware of is the 12 signs of the zodiac.

There are two basic categories from which all the signs draw their characteristics: elements (triplicity), qualities (quadriplicity).

The Elements

In astrology each of these signs is allocated an Element — Fire, Water, Air and Earth.

The Golden Dawn then assigned that structure to the Minor Arcana like this:

• Wands: Fire signs — Aries, Leo, Sagittarius.
• Cups: Water signs — Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces.
• Swords: Air signs — Libra, Aquarius, Gemini.
• Disks: Earth signs — Capricorn, Taurus, Virgo.

In astrology, the 12 signs of the zodiac are also categorised according to their qualities, or mode of expression — Cardinal, Fixed or Mutable.

Cardinal signs serve as generators of activity. A good example of this would be to look at the pattern of the seasons. The start of each season is brought in by the Cardinal signs: Aries brings in Spring, Cancer brings in Summer, Libra brings in Autumn and Capricorn brings in Winter.

Fixed signs serve as concentrators of energy (the middle of the season) and Mutable signs serve to transfer energy (the ending of one season and the start of the next).

The Golden Dawn assigned that structure to the Minor Arcana like this:

• Twos, Threes, Fours: Cardinal signs (Aries, Cancer, Libra, Capricorn)
• Fives, Sixes, Sevens: Fixed signs (Leo, Scorpio, Aquarius, Taurus)
• Eights, Nines, Tens: Mutable signs (Sagittarius, Pisces, Gemini, Virgo)

Cardinal signs

Fixed signs

Mutable signs

12 signs of the Zodiac in their natural order

Have a look at the table below and see how many repeating patterns you can notice. Pay attention to the elements and qualities of the zodiac and the numbering of the Minor Arcana.

Notice the patterns?

Progression of the small cards through the zodiacal year

The Zodiac and therefore the year, is divided into 360°. Each of the small cards represents 1 decan (period of 10 degrees) of the zodiac, and approximately 10 days of the year. Like before, see how many repeating patterns you can find. Also, notice how each of these patterns builds upon the last.

Assignment of the Planets to the Small cards

An important pattern to become aware of is the placement of the Planets. Starting at Leo, the planets are assigned in the following repeating order:

1. Saturn
2. Jupiter
3. Mars
4. Sun
5. Venus
6. Mercury
7. Luna

This is the descending order of the planetary spheres on the Tree of Life.

Court cards

The Knights (Kings), Queens, and Princes (Knights) rule from 20° of one sign to 20° of the next.

The Court cards are fascinating. Notice how they bring together and mix the elemental, qualities (Cardinal, Fixed and Mutable), decan and planetary attributions.

The reason for this is the special tasks that the Court cards perform (in a Kabbalistic Universe that is). These cards are what allow the Universe to maintain itself; they were also responsible for its creation.

These are the cards that mix up all the other attributions so that they are forced to combine and interact with each other. This interaction ensures the maintenance of the Universe. Without these cards performing this function, there would be no Universe.

Conclusion

In the last article, Timing and Predicting when Events will Happen with Astrological associations, I suggested that the best way to learn this system was by using it.

I suggested:

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.

Now, I would like you to start noticing the patterns. Look at how the Golden Dawn attributed astrology to the Tarot; notice the logic and rationality behind it. Recognition of these patterns will do more than just make you a better Tarot reader, it will give you a sense of the interconnection of things.

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Timing and Predicting when Events will Happen with Astrological associations
• Three Ways To Accurately Predict When Events Will Happen
• Tarot and Astrology: going back to basics with a look at perception
• An Introduction To The Elemental Dignities Compendium
• Study Guide To The Beginners Tutorial To Reading Tarot Cards

I had the honour of being on Beyond Worlds with Donnaleigh and Theresa, The Tarot Lady. We talk about Court Cards, Tarot card combinations and wacky Tarot card meanings!

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Christopher Healey Interview With Jason
• Christopher Healey Lovecraft Interview
• Christopher Healey
• Interview On Tarot And Philosophy Part 2
• Interview On Tarot And Philosophy

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:

• Showing the structure behind the Astrological Associations
• Three Ways To Accurately Predict When Events Will Happen
• Tarot and Astrology: going back to basics with a look at perception
• An Introduction To The Elemental Dignities Compendium
• Study Guide To The Beginners Tutorial To Reading Tarot Cards

“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:

• Poll Results: Should Tarot Eon have a Forum?
• 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

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

(Theoretically) Related Posts:

• Tarot Card Confusion
• Conjurer or Adept? The Humble Origins of the Tarot Magician
• Why Reading Tarot Cards Like A Book Doesn’t Work
• Stop Reading About It and Do It
• An Introduction To The Elemental Dignities Compendium

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!
• How to Create Client Profiles and Turbo Charge Your Tarot Study!
• Tarot Surgery: Why Objectivity Will Help Your Tarot Readings!
• Differential Calculus – A Formula For Tarot Divination?