Tarot by Laura Jane

Tarot

Laura Taylor

Contents

Tarot 5

Introduction

Major Arcana

Minor Arcana

Readings

Referances

Portraits

Still Life

Landscape

Introduction

Tarot cards are today associated with the occult and fortune telling which has resulted in a lack of exploration by serious historians. Tarott cards are in actual fact, just an earlier form of playing cards. They first appeared in Italy and France in the 14th Century. Tarot or taroc or tarocchi cards were used to play the game of tarocchi, with as little association to fortune telling as modern day playing cards. Much like modern playing cards, the tarocchi deck had trump cards,

the Major Arcana, and suit cards, the Minor Arcana. However the numbers differed, there are 22 trump cards and 56 suit cards. The Visconti-Sforza Tarocchi Deck from the 15th Century is still available today. The Major Arcana of the deck did however hold secret meaning to practitioners of Sufism, a Muslim movement whose followers sought direct encounters with Allah to find divine truth and love. 5

Tarot cards are now used as a form of self-expression, personal growth and development. Artists throughout the centuries have used the cards as symbols and motifs in artworks. Photographer Alice Smeets worked together with a group of Haitian artists known as Atiz Rezistans and transformed the cards into real life scenes in the ghettos of Haiti. This project is being taken further and the cards are being produced. Salvador Dali also created a tarot deck for historians, art lovers and collectors, featuring oversized surrealist cards in English and Spanish. In the late 16th Century followers of the occult discovered tarot cards, finding the images to be even more symbolic than just the playing cards that they were being used as. The cards were begun to be used as divination tools, thus becoming part of the Occult history. It is believed that tarot allows the reader access to unconscious messages from the clients higher self. They can be used to help give a greater understanding of events that have happened and may happen. Tarot readers are often challenged when confronted with the question, of whether the future is pre determined or if people have free will. If fate is reality, and all actions are pre determined, then what is the point of divination and tarot, if no matter what you do, you’ll get the same outcome. Alternatively, if free will is reality, then why seek divination when you can change an outcome by active suggestion. This debate may also lead to dissatisfied clients whose reading has not come totally true. Many tarot readers believe it is better to focus on the areas were people could be proactive. It is used as a tool to help encourage people to think and make better choices about their lives. Future predictions give people hope and entertainment, they help to make better choices and prepare for what is ahead. A good reading should help to change a persons perspective and realise that they are in control of their life.

“What fate imposes, that men must needs abide; It boots not to resist both wind and tide” — William Shakespeare

Major Arcana

Arcana is the plural of arcanum which translates to â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;profound secretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;. The alchemists of the Middle Ages thought the arcanum was the secret of nature. This would suggest that tarot cards are a collection of secrets that explain the universe. The Major Arcana consists of twenty-one numbered cards, and one unnumbered card, the Fool. Prior to the 17th century, the Major Arcana was part of a special card deck used for gaming and gambling. They had little magical 8

importance. Now however, they form the foundation of the tarot set and can be used on their own or in conjunction with the Minor Arcana. The cards are used to illustrate human consciousness, so the imagery is filled with symbolism and wisdom from multiple cultures across the globe. There is so much meaning buried in the images in the cards, when reading it is important to consider what the card is referring too and contemplate the messages within.

The more you understand the symbolism, the better the reading and the deeper the understanding of what the cards represent. When a reading is made up of predominantly the Major Arcana, the person the reading is for is experiencing or coming up to large life changes with long-term effects. Readings done with only the Major Arcana are usually relating to spiritual matters. Major Arcana cards are always given more weight in a reading, the issue is that is being addressed is not mundane. It holds the wisdom of spiritual journeys and the key to the lessons learnt through life. They represent the most basic concerns, major feelings and motivations. Each card depicts a scene, usually involving a person or multiple people surrounded with symbolism. Most decks are named and numbered minus the original decks, made when people were illiterate. Each of these cards symbolizes some universal aspect of human experience.

There are so many different decks available; realistic or symbolic, drawn or photographed. You need to find the deck that works for you. 10

The Major Arcana cards are ordered, with name and number. Some names directly reflect the cards meaning, others personify an approach to life and others are named after astronomy. These allude to heavenly forces.

0 - The Fool The Fool generally indicates new beginnings that have a deeper, more spiritual side. It is usually a positive card, with the obvious hint that you should look at where you’re going.

There is only one variance in the order of the card, first seen in the influential RiderWaite-Smith deck. Strength is traditionally the eleventh card and Justice the eighth however their positions were switched in order to better fit with the astrological correspondences worked out by the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. Currently many decks, especially in the English-speaking world, use this placement. Both are considered valid.

1 – The Magician Like The Fool, The Magician is associated with new beginnings and great expectations. Knowledge, strength and inspiration are within. 2 – The High Priestess The High Priestess is a very spiritual card, suggesting that intuition is the best way to go. It is tied to the moon, femininity and inspiration. 3 – The Empress The Empress is a symbol of feminine power, she can also signify coming abundance. When this card is drawn, it suggests that people will go to you for advice and company. 4 – The Emperor This card shows that sometimes it is best to follow the mind rather than the heart. When faced with hard choices, you must concentrate and focus. 5 – The Hierophant The Hierophant is a very spiritual card focused on doing the right thing. It is important to do the right thing by you, even if it goes against your beliefs or others. 6 – The Lovers The lovers indicate a partnership with another, however it is not always romantic. The thing to do when this card is drawn is to follow your heart. 7 – The Chariot The Chariot represents focused energy, directed and controlled. It is a sign that you need to move forward and implement your ideas. 8 – Strength Strength indicates the importance of mind over matter. It is important to take time and meditate to help keep your head straight. 9 – The Hermit This card is very spiritual and is often associated with large institutions and organisations.

10 – The Wheel of Fortune The Wheel is usually an indication of change. It is usually positive, but for some people change can be traumatic. 11 – Justice The Justice card symbolises the need for fairness and balance. It is important to remember that everything, people and nature are connected. 12 – The Hanged Man The Hanged Man symbolises a crossroads with only two options. You may need to let something go in order to move on. 13 – Death Death does not necessarily, or even usually, indicates physical death. It is more likely to be a transformation or change. 14 – Temperance This card is all about balance and relationships. Different approaches may be necessary to reach your ideal goal. 15 – The Devil The Devil is a card about metaphoric and internal bondage. You need to look past the superficial to get to the heart of a situation.

16 – The Tower The Tower is also about change. Holding onto the present may be detrimental to the future. 17 – The Star The Star is inspiration and hope for the future. It is a spiritual card and a very good omen. 18 – The Moon The Moon indicates that there may be confusion, about past events and the people around you. Trusting your instinct is important. 19 – The Sun The Sun is a beacon of hope. A feeling of freedom is coming your way, but it is crucial that you don’t lose sight of the important things in life. 20 – Judgement This card suggests that you may be jumping to conclusions or decisions. You need to slow down and consider all the angles. 21 – The World The World can be that you are reaching the conclusion of something. It is important not to give up early.

“We are not human beings on a spiritual journey. We are spiritual beings on a human journey.” — S R Covey

Minor Arcana

The Minor Arcana is the other 56 cards of the deck. It was originally used as playing cards and, like modern playing cards, it is also broken up into four suits; Pentacles, Swords, Wands and Cups, each with 14 cards. The suits have a different symbolic meaning and the cards within the suit are all pertaining to that meaning. Depending on the origin of the deck, the titles of some cards differ. For example the Knight and Page could be the Jack or Knave respectively.

While the Major Arcana focus on the bigger picture, the Minor Arcana help understand more details and subtleties. The smaller things. It could be considered that it shows the laws of human nature. The cards include number cards, two to ten, Ace, Knight, Page, King and Queen. The numbered cards represent events in your past, present or future while the court cards represent people, it could be someone you know or even yourself. 13

Once you understand the basics behind both the Major and Minor Arcana, it becomes easier to read the story they tell. Wands are associated with the element of fire and they relate to action. It is a vary spiritual suit. They are also sometimes called Staffs. Should a wand appear in a reading, you may need to take action in a situation, perhaps a bold move in your career or relationships. They can be used to illustrate the energy of movement, action, ideas and innovation. Wands can be representative of what you do during the day, be it work or family or adventures. People that align themselves with wands can be energetic and charismatic, but also impulsive and lacking direction or purpose. Pentacles are associated with earth and pertain to the physical body or possessions. They are sometimes called Discs or Coins. It is often thought that Pentacles is physical money, however it can also be wealth and success in other forms such as career, relationships and spiritually. On an esoteric level, Pentacles are associated with ego and self image. They can indicate that something in the physical world needs attention, you may need to focus more on a certain aspect of life. People associated with Pentacles can also be practical and career focused however they can also be greedy and possessive. Cups is linked with water, emotions and love. They can reveal how you truly feel and how others feel about you. They often look at the emotional well being. Cups are generally a positive indication of things to come, however they can also appear when you are confused or doubting yourself. People that are represented by Cups are usually artistic, emotional and creative.They also tend to think with their heart rather than their head. Cups can indicate that the person is being overly emotional or has unrealistic expectations. Swords relates to air, reason and challenges. They are a reminder of your own inner strength. Swords are often associated with conflict and strife, this could be internal or external. They get to the truth, even if it hurts. They will likely appear if you are facing a challenge or coming in contact with a forceful 14

person. Swords can teach valuable lessons. It focuses on the part of the consciousness that is centred around the mind and intellect. People associated with Swords can be intelligent and rational, but also angry and lacking compassion. Swords can be both constructive and destructive.

Readings

Tarot is not about telling the future, but understanding your higher self. The cards attune to your energy, giving an indication of what your life looks like at the time of the reading. While tarot helps provide insight, it is not meant to be relied on to solve problems. There are two different types of readings; question readings and open readings. Cards can be dealt in an infinite amount of spreads with different amounts of cards.

The variety of spreads is to accommodate the needs of the reader. The spread can give focus to an aspect of life that the reader wishes to find more information. Open readings look at the larger aspects of life rather than a specific area. You can guide it in that you can look at your career or health or relationships, but it does not get more specific.

Question readings can be more complex than open readings, in that they can give you more details. Questions should be open for the cards to lead you, because if you already know the answer, then what is the point of the reading? They should be focused, but not with too much detail, look at the bigger question rather than a small thread of it. In order for the cards to read well, you need to remain neutral when asking the question otherwise you will only see what you want to see. Another important point is to be positive when asking, a negative attitude will get you nowhere in life. It is important to remember that tarot should not be used to make decisions, simply to help you examine all your options. Readings can not provide a diagnosis or a magic fix to all your problems, but it can give you an indication of the paths you can take to find a solution. Tarot can be empowering, helping you to live a fulfilling life.

References

Airey. R & Greenwood. S, 2009, Witchcraft and Practical Magic, Anness Publishing Ltd, London.

psychic-addiction-and-emotional-illness-balancebetween-free-will-and-fate>

Adcock. W, Baggott. A, Bourne. D, Mendoza. S, 2008, Arts of Divination, Anness Publishing Ltd, London.

McAdam. D, 2014, Tarot Decks, History of Tarot Decks, retrieved 5 May 2015, <http://www.tarot-decks.com/ tarotarticle.htm>

Ellershaw. J, 2008, Easy Tarot Handbook, Llewellyn Publications, America. Anderson. T, 2003, American Tarot Association, What a Tarot Reading can do for you, retrieved 23 May 2015, <http://www.ata-tarot.com/resource/traci.html> Bunning. J, 2007, Learn Tarot, The Major Arcana, retrieved 19 May 2015, <http://www.learntarot.com/ less2.htm> Cade. D,L, 2015, Huffington Post, Photographer Teams Up With Haitian Artists to Transform Tarot Cards Into Real Scenes, retrieved 5 May 2015, <http://www. huffingtonpost.com/dl-cade/photographer-teams-upwit_b_7162440.html> Gaudet. C. 2014, Tarot, Psychic Addiction and Emotional Illness: The Balance Between Free Will and Fate, retrieved 19 May 2015, <http://www. christianagaudet.com/personal-blog/content/tarot18

N/A, 2014, Tarot.com, The Minor Arcana Tarot Cards, retrieved 23 May 2015, <http://www.tarot.com/articles/ tarot/about-tarot-cards-minor-arcana N/A, 2015, Patheos Library, Sufism, retrieved 5 May 2015, <http://www.patheos.com/Library/Sufism.html> N/A, 2015, Tarot.com, The Fool Card in the Salvador Dali Deck, retrieved 5 May 2015, <http://www.tarot. com/tarot/decks/dali/the-fool> N/A, 2014, Biddy Tarot, Major Arcana Tarot Card Meanings, retrieved 11 May 2015, <http://www. biddytarot.com/tarot-card-meanings/major-arcana/> Zorian, 2010, Tarot Quest, Fate vs Free will: Part one, retrieved 19 May 2015, <https://tarotquest.wordpress. com/2010/06/17/fate-vs-free-will-part-one-understanding-fate/>

Portraits

The theme of the portrait shoot was glasses. Each of the subjects are wearing glasses, either their seeing glasses or humorous novelty glasses. This gives the images a constant. Each of the images was taken in different places, utilising different natural lighting and artificial lighting. A portable flash was also used in each image.

Still Life

The subjects of my images included rubber ducks and mugs. Utilising the lighting I was able to create a darker, more traditional looking still life image with the odd combination of items. The other image is less traditional, looking down on the subjects and utilising black and white with a touch of colour to highlight the important aspect of the image.

Landscape

The compilation landscape image is a statement about the lack of concern that is given to trees and forests when people decide they need more space. Logging displaces so many animals, taking away their natural habitats. Not only does it negatively affect the animals, but also humans. Trees are our major source of oxygen and it is being taken away for infrastructure, even when there are other resources available. Forests can recover, but it takes centuries to get back to how they were. 27