"The essential mini course in Tarot. The Ritual, The Reading, The Meanings..."

The Tarot deck is a collection of 78 ancient doorways to the subconcious realm.

Do you often feel that your life is on a loop ?.

The faces and locations may change but the experiences are essentially the same.When you tune in to the Tarot it is essentially a map, providing a clear structured path along which we can travel to trancend our earthbound existence, choose our journey through life. even re-create our future. A Tarot reading is often compared to a session of therapy, there is no doubt that a good reading brings all aspects of your life in to focus.

In fact many modern forms of psychotherapy rely on leading us to recognise our traits, to break out of repetitive even damaging behaviour. The Tarot predates popular systems such as cognitive behavioural therapy by offering Ancient Archetypes that are truly mirrors of the subconcious, enabling us to recognise our failings so that we can use the Ancient system of Tarot to enlighten our existence and fuel our spiritual progression. Tarot is an open book that enables a skilled reader, or Tarotologist, such as myself to experience a snapshot of your life situation, then to offer you directions as to your possible future.

Many other aspects influence a Tarot reading, I am particularly sensitive to the correlation between Tarot and the Ancient Kabbalistic Tree of Life. These mystical pathways combine with the energy of the Tarot to release you from your daily existence, eventually you will realise that the external world has very little influence over your destiny, you are ultimately responsible for every situation & experience, you must take responsibilty for your actions.

When I embark on a spread for someone who has requested a reading, or querent to use the correct terminology. It is as if I a door opens to that persons world, or a movie trailer is played across the painted images laid out before me. It is never a direct reflection of a specific window of time in that persons life, Tarot is far more fluid than that, a reading is a symbolic reflection of the very essence of their existence, offering Magical doorways to a variety of possible future outcomes. The Tarot truly gives you the opportunity to assess your situation, accept any lessons and re-invent yourself. Failure to accept these lessons inevitably leads to spiritual stagnation. To travel the Royal Road of Tarot takes a great deal of courage, the secrets contained therein will undoubtedly lead you to a deep understanding of the mysteries of life, first you have to be strong enough to face these lessons.

The ritual I follow when embarking on a spread is always the same.

I focus my intention and using a process similar to auto-hypnosis tune my consciousness to the frequency of the cards. I ask the querent to either focus on a specific issue or 'tune out' completely to enable any underlying influences to surface through the reading. The querent will then carefully shuffle the deck and cut the pack with their left hand before selecting the cards that will form the structure of their spread. I almost always use the Celtic Cross spread as I find this generally gives the clearest overview of every aspect of the persons situation. Each position on the Celtic Cross corresponds to a specific aspect of the reading. As each card is revealed, the interpretation comes in to focus. The symbolism of the cards, how they react with other adjacent cards and many other factors reveal the situation, as well as any actions that may be taken to influence the possible outcomes for that individual.

I like to think that a Tarot reading is like a dialogue with a wise old elder, someone who has experienced pretty much everything that life has to offer. You may not want to hear their advice, but you cannot argue that they are not almost invariably right. We must appreciate that the wisdom distilled in the ancient images of The Tarot is a microcosm of every aspect of human existence. I am still astonished that after more than a quarter of a century of reading Tarot all around the globe, new interpretations present themselves to reflect each individuals' existence. They may have originated in the 16th Century but the lessons contained within are more relevant today than ever before. Life, love, money, career, regardless of other distractions or advancements, scientific or technological the path of human existence remains the same.

The Tarot deck comprises 78 cards and is divided in to two distinct Arcana, or groups of secrets. The Major Arcana of 22 'Trump' cards & the Minor Arcana of 56 'suit' cards.

The journey of the Major Arcana is often referred to as 'The Fool's Journey', we follow The Fool as he encounters each Trump card that in turn represent the stages of a person's existence. From literally nothing, through birth, relationships, spiritual development and ultimately back to nothing via death. The Fool, with his number 0, represents this perpetual cycle. The Major Arcana are undoubtedly the most powerful messages of the Tarot and reflect major life events and challenges to personal development. Whenever a reading comprises a high proportion of Major Arcana cards, you can be sure that big decisions are going to need to be made.

 

The Major Arcana.

The Classic accepted meanings of the Major Arcana : 0 The Fool - choices offered, folly, going in circles 1 The Magician - creative energy, psychic power 2 The High Priestess - mystery, hidden influences 3 The Empress - abundance, fertility, motherhood 4 The Emperor - leadership, control, fatherhood 5 The Hierophant - convention, society, restrictions 6 The Lovers - love, relationships, intimacy 7 The Chariot - mind over matter, conflicts, war 8 Strength - courage, power, stamina 9 The Hermit - wisdom, spirituality, Higher Self 10 Wheel of Fortune - unpredictability, change of luck 11 Justice - legal issues, balance, karmic return 12 Hanged Man - withdrawal, study, rest, waiting 13 Death - change, physical death, an ending 14 Temperance - moderation, adaptation, patience 15 The Devil - temptation, the material world, evil 16 The Tower - conflict, problems, devastation 17 The Star - hope, inspiration, happiness 18 The Moon - unseen troubles, black magic 19 The Sun - marriage, success, male sexuality 20 Judgment - awakening, renewal 21 The World - success, opportunity, a clean slate

 

The Minor Arcana.

The journey of the Minor Arcana in Tarot is a multi layered exercise that can be approached on an endless variety of levels.To begin to communicate with the Tarot you must first absorb the meanings of the four suits and their corresponding symbols. The Wands, Pentacles, Cups and Swords of the Tarot deck have in their structure similarities to a traditional deck of playing cards. Each of these cards has developed to represent situations in a persons life or qualities of 'characters' within that persons existence. In comparison to a deck of playing cards the Cups are equivalent to the suit of Hearts, the Diamonds to Pentacles, the Wands to Clubs and the Swords to Spades.

Each suit of the Minor Arcana is embodied with certain qualities.

Below is a list of the accepted meaning of each of these suit cards. Remember the meaning can be influenced by surrounding influences in a spread or overridden by strong Psychic impressions received from the images contained within. Always trust your intuition.

The Suit of Wands.

The Wands represent the mind, inspiration, guidance, emerging potential

The Suit of Cups.

The Cups suit deals with emotional matters, love, sex marriage, fertility and creativity.

The Suit of Pentacles.

The Pentacles suit represents financial concerns, career and economic security.

The Suit of Swords.

The Swords suit symbolises your state of mind and highlights any conflicts

The Court Cards.

The court cards have long given trouble to inexperienced readers struggling to connect with exactly who these individuals are should they appear during a Tarot reading. In my experience the following descriptions are a useful guideline although sometimes the qualities represented do not necessarily correspond to the physical attributes, and may even cross over gender boundaries :

"Paul O'Mara - About Me "     My name is Paul O'Mara and I am many things. Primarily though a Tarot consultant, reader, cartomancer, Tarotologist, or any other term you would like to use to describe a person who can decode the incredible tool that is the Tarot. One thing I am not is a fortune teller, you won't find me in a caravan wearing a headscarf and large hoop ear-rings. For me Tarot is a fascinating and powerful technology of endless possibilities. Paul — Paul O'Mara http://www.paulomara.com

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