Module Fourteen
Another popular divination tool is the Tarot. The tarot is a deck of 78 cards with symbolic images that are interpreted by the reader as a way to allow messages from our spiritual support team to come through.
The tarot cards originated in Italy in the 15th century and were simply used as playing cards. In the 18th century, an occultist named Jean-Baptiste Alliette transformed the deck by linking the symbology of the cards with astrology, the Kabbalah, and other forms of mystical systems.
As tarot has become more and more popular over recent years, the availability and diversity of tarot decks have exploded. There are themed decks that are as varied as the people reading them, and while they are called ‘tarot cards’ they are mostly considered novelty items and aren’t widely used as divination tools, so much as they are good to pull out at a cocktail party for a few inebriated laughs.
That being said, there are true tarot decks that include all of the traditional cards, suits, and symbology that vary in different artist’s interpretation. For the sake of this course, we will be using the most popular tarot card deck which is called the “Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot” deck.
There is not one way to successfully read the tarot, as the interpretation is varied by the relationship that the reader has formed with the symbology of the cards through much practice.
It is however, extremely beneficial to learn and understand the traditional meanings of the cards, their symbols, and what they have come to represent historically. Understanding how the suits of the cards align with the natural elements that we use in other forms of our magick practice can also accelerate our understanding of the cards and create more confidence in our readings, either for ourselves or for others.
The Suits
Wands - The suit of wands represents action and are the fire element of the tarot.
Cups - The suit of cups represents emotions and are the element of water.
Pentacles - The suit of pentacles represents the material world and are the element of earth.
Swords - The suit of swords represent thoughts and are the element of air.
