Tarot by Rider-Waite-Smith

The best known Tarot deck is the Rider-Waite-Smith deck. There are hundreds of others, but the images of the RWS Tarot are the ones which are instantly recognizable. The origin of the Tarot is unknown. Some legends say that the cards originated in ancient Egypt derived from mystery religions. The Tarot is also said to embody the esoteric origins of India, Persia, Hebrew Cabalistic and early Christian beliefs. The tarot card symbolism is a key to opening up the psyche to new feelings, ideas, concepts and spiritual opportunities.

The first qualification necessary to become a good reader of the Tarot cards is “the desire to do so.” With study of the individual meanings of the cards and an intuitive linking together of the these we can quickly learn to build up a depth to the overall message. Working with the cards actually develops your psychic, sensitive and spiritual nature. Practice makes perfect.

The Major Arcana

The Tarot consists of 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana cards. The major arcana is more concerned with the reasons behind events. It can be described like a man on a journey, he starts on the road as the Fool and encounters all manner of people and events along the way and through these experiences he learns life’s lessons and becomes more enlightened and fulfilled by the time he reaches the 22 card the World. It is a physical as well as a spiritual journey. Wherever the major cards fall there is a stronger influence in that area of the inquirers life, than if it were a minor card. Minor cards represent probable events while the major cards represent the reasons behind the events. The presence of a Major Card will dominate a reading and will carry more weight than  Minor Arcana cards.