The Tarot
Tarot cards cannot predict a fixed and fated future. They simply describe feelings, and qualities of the moment when an individual consults them with a particular problem or situation in mind. Every second your future changed, depending obviously if you believe in fate or not which I'm not going to go into simply because everyone has very different views on it.
Tarot cards aren't toys just to 'muck around' with. If you get tarot cards you need to have a 'relationship' with your cards. Respect each other. I know it sounds weird but if you take good care of your cards, they'll give you the answers. And I do not mean the answers of life! No one has the answers of life, but the guide lines of the problem. They reflect our most profound conflicts, needs and aspirations. Special cloths sometimes come with Tarot cards to keep them safe and secure. I never bring my Tarot cards out without packing them in. Just like the book of shadows, they are part of you, your religion.
I'm using "The Mythic Tarot" as a guide. They have a book and a full deck of cards with cloth in a package to buy.The Fool
The first card of the Major Acarna.
This person, 'the fool' is the child of great Zeus, king of the gods, and Semele.
This card basically resembles the 'jumping into the unknown'. That before you walk you should look around you first, see what's happening and see the consequences. On this card it shows a youth, dressed in ragged clothes, he just came out of a cave in the mountain side and is walking without looking at where he is going, not knowing that he is stepping of the edge of a cliff. A bird (Zeus'es bird) watches as the fool plunges towards the unkiwn. The youth has a pair of horns too, and wears an animal hide showing that he is like a young animal, driven into life by instinct, not yet conscious or possessed of understanding. The meaning behind this card is always different depending on what the reader is thinking, weather someone is going to do something with consequences without knowing them, or wether someone should dare take the plunge etc...The Magician
The god Hermes, guide of travellers, patron of thieves and liars, ruler of magic and divination, and bringer of sudden good luck and changes in fortune. He is deceitful and ambiguous, yet a trusted messenger of the gods and the guide of souls into the underworld. In Greek myths he was the son of Zeus and the mysterious nymph Maia. The child was of both spiritual light and primordial darkness.
He is the guide, somewhere within us, no matter how lost of confused we are, we always have an answer or a way to get out in the back of our head, the magician helps bring that forth, makes it come out clearer. It also can mean potential skills which haven't yet been uncovered.The Empress
She is Earth Mother, ruler of all nature and protectress of young defenseless creatures. She ripened the gold of grain each year. When getting the empress, obviously depending on what the reader feels, it could mean something earthy/natural will happen, marriage or a child maybe. Also it could mean a great female power in your life, who has a big influence on you.The Emperor
Great Zeus, also called the All-Father, creator of the world and sovereign of both gods and men. He is the image of a perfect father. He drives us to acheive, he has authority and ambition and disciplines when needed.
Could be a father figure with a big influence in your life, since the All-Father has an influence on everyone.The High Priestess
Persephone, queen of the underworld and dauther of Earth Mother Demter and guardian of the secrets of the dead. In the myth Hades, lord of the underworld, was overwhelmed with desire for the maiden while she wandered in the fields picking plowers.
Persephone ruled over the underworld with her husband for three months of the year. The other 9 months was spend with her mother in the daylight.
Persephone is an image of the link with that mysterious inner world to which depth pyschology has give the name 'the unconscious'. In the spread it means the heightening of the powers of intuition, and that there might be an envounter of some kind with the hidden inner world which Persephone rules in a dream, daydream etc...The Heirophant
Chron, king of the Centaurs, a healer, a priest and a wise teacher of young heroes. His father was Ixion with no proper mother but a cloud so he could not make love to the goddess herself.
In the spread he shows that the individual will begin to actively seek answers of a philosophical kind. It may emerge as the study of a philosophy or system, or belief, or as deep commitment to a quest for meaning in life.The Lovers
Trojan prince Paris. Commanded by Zeus to judge a beauty contest between three goddesses, Hera, Aphrodite and Athene.
In the spread it is a choice of some kind, usually related with love.The Chariot
The war-god Ares made by Hera the queen of the gods, without a male seed. In the spread it means conflict and stuggle which could result in stronger personality. One could come to face aggression in others but also with one self. It is something which cannot be avoided but needs strength and containment to be solved.Justice
Athene, goddess of Justice. Zeus was the father with Metis, goddess of Wisdom. In the spread it is the need for balance thought and impartial decision making. The card can be double-edged and there are spheres of life where Athene's cool reflection is too chilly and too idealistic and also too destructive to the warmth of personal relationships. The sword can cut the heart with genearl truths which are inappropriate for a particular situation.Temperance
Iris, goddess of the rainbow and messenger to Hera, queen of the gods. In the spread it implies the need for a feeling in a relationship. She suggests the potential for harmony and co-operation resulting in a good relationship or happy marriage etc...Strength
The great warrior Heracles, called Hercules by the Romans. He is the image of a problem containing the powerful and savage beast within us.
In the spread it implies a situation where a collision with the lion within cannot be helped, where the control of one's own rage is important and to be controlled.The Hermit
The ancient god, Cronos which means time. Uranus (heaven) and Gaea (earth) mated for the first time. In the spread it is a sign of loneliness and withdrawal from other activities including others. There will be oportunities when waiting.The Wheel Of Fortune
The three goddesses of Fate, also known as Moirai by the Greeks.
In the spread it means a sudden change of fortune. It can be either good of bad but it'll bring a new phase of life.The Hanged Man
Prometheus, the Titan defied the law of Zeus and stole the fire gods to give to man. Now he is hanged. In the spread it means the voluntary sacrifice for something of greater valeu in return. This can be external or internal.Death
The dark god Hades, lord of the underworld.
In the spread it implies something coming to an end, good or bad, new beginnings are in sight. Leaving behind a previous life, like a previous character which you changed so that is the end, and a new, better beginning.The Devil
The great god Pan who the Greeks worshipped. In the spread it implies a necesary confrontation with the ugly side of things/people. There is no way out of this one, it'll come up wether the person wants it or not. The person must gain knowledge and acceptance through this.The Tower
Famous Labyrith of King Minos. In the spread applies the breaking down of existing forms. It is like the Death and the Devil. It depends a lot on the character and attitude of the individual in terms of how difficult or painful it is to deal with. The tower will fall away wether willing or unwilling, not because fate decrees it, but something inside the individual can no longer stay inside. A barrier is broken.The Star
Pandora, who opened a chest which Zeus had maliciously given to mankind, and pandora released all the spirits. In the spread it means the experience of hope, faith and meaning while in the middle of difficulties. It too can be ambivalent and can warn against blind hope.The Moon
The ancient underworld goddess Hecate, ruler of the mood, magic and enchantment. In the spread is a time of confusion. As seen in the card the goddess has three heads looking in different directions, looking for the best way to go. The individual might find themselves in a situation where they do not know what path to chose, what way to go or what to look at. They can do nothing but wait and cling to the image of dreams and a vague sense of faith and hope.The Sun
The radiant sun-god Apollo, the gentleman of Olympus and lord of prophecy, music and knowledge.
In the spread implies clarity, optimism and renewed trust. Maybe the individual suddenly found the right path through a problem. The smoke clears and the paths are clear leading to the right things and people. The curses of the night is dispelled. Time to move forward.Judgement
Hermes the Psychopomp who guides the Souls.
In the spread it implies the time for rewards of past efforts and difficulties past through. A time to have a break and look back at all the different paths and difficulties. It has a second side though, a disturbing confrontation with all our own evasions and selb-betrayals. Now the individual must confront their mistakes and realize them. Everyone makes mistakes, now it's time to confront them and sort them out.The World
Hermaphroditus, child of Hermes and Aphrodite.
In the spread it implies a time of achievement and intergration. It is the time of triumph at the successful conclusion of a problem of reaching a goal well deserved which took a lot of hard work to achieve. The peak is merely a glimpse of something mysterious, the ending isn't near yet, there are many paths still to travel, now is just a time to feel good, it'll start over again...The Cups Page
The Wands Page
The Swords Page