This
is a workshop that I've taught several times over the past 20
years, and it has the advantage of being able to be used with
any TRADITIONAL Tarot deck. It offers a psychological approach
to interpreting the Tarot cards, which can be quite useful when
you are looking for a down-to-earth method of gaining a "reality
check" in your Tarot spreads...
Major
Arcana
0
– FOOL:
·
Absolute faith and trust in the universe
· Feeling of protection and a sense that everything will
work out
· Innocence and naiveté, but open to whatever the
future brings
I
– MAGICIAN:
·
Ability to discriminate between illusion and truth
· Realization that your personal reality is different from
collective reality
· Ability to understand and describe more than one perception
of reality
II
– HIGH PRIESTESS:
·
Represents the gateway between the outer world and the spiritual
realm
· Calls for meditation and attunement to the subconscious
mind
· Key to all aspects of memory
III
– EMPRESS:
·
Unlocks creative imagination
· Sensitive to physical and emotional needs of others
· Calls for giving love, nurturing and healing
IV
– EMPEROR:
·
Shows a need to identify with a powerful and established group
energy
· You may need to give up some of your freedom and isolation
to do this
· If you identify with this powerful person or group, your
success or failure in the world is affected by theirs
V
– HIEROPHANT:
·
Aligning yourself to a particular spiritual philosophy in a loyal
and responsible way
· Can lead to a leadership role in this philosophical group
· Represents “in-tuition”, or inner learning
/ teacher
VI
– LOVERS:
·
Working together cooperatively with others to accomplish a common
goal
· This interaction validates and supports you and all concerned
· Interplay between self-conscious, subconscious and superconscious
minds
VII
– CHARIOT:
·
Situation where transition is occurring at an amazing speed
· Total attunement with fast-moving process or event
· Your awareness of limitations and parameters of the situation
allows you to instinctively know how to “ride” it
VIII
– STRENGTH:
·
Experience of gut-level, instinctive, compelling drives that are
there for your protection or survival
· Something outside of you is strongly urging a certain
course of action
· Your fierce determination to pursue your goal doesn’t
seem logical, but does seem irrefutable
IX
– HERMIT:
·
Bearer of the light; way-shower for humanity from one who has
gone before
· Need for withdrawal or retreat from others in order to
get some perspective on your situation
· Once clarity is achieved, you can return to your situation
and play a more satisfying and effective role
X
– WHEEL OF FORTUNE:
·
Events have been set in motion in a concrete, observable way
· Wishes, affirmations, etc. have triggered events
· Time to relax and wait and see how the universe responds
XI
– JUSTICE:
·
Establishment of equilibrium or balance in your life
· Present situation will be balanced out by its opposite
· Time for discrimination
XII
– HANGED MAN:
·
Reversing your perspective from the mass mind view
· Wait for better time to take action
· Look for cues and be ready to move
XIII
– DEATH:
·
Experience of total change, transformation or metamorphosis
· Old patterns being destroyed to make room for new
· Change is voluntary and necessary
XIV
– TEMPERANCE:
·
Blending of diverse elements to create something new
· Time for alchemy
· Strength through tempering process
XV
– DEVIL:
·
Boundaries and limitations in your life
· Narrowed view of reality
· Self-imposed feeling of being trapped or imprisoned
XVI
– TOWER:
·
Process of changing a core belief about the world
· Destruction of self-imposed isolation or prison
· Lightning flash of awareness of the larger picture
XVII
– STAR:
·
Experience of the boundless, free abundance of the universe
· Flow of pure energy is available to you
· Receiving of support and resources
XVIII
– MOON:
·
Guidance coming to you in the form of symbols and intuitions
· Higher self shows you the next step on your “path”
· Some doors are opening for you and others are closing
XIX
– SUN:
·
Time of rekindled enthusiasm
· Readiness to make refinements and adjustments
· You are re-directing your growth, using the knowledge
and experience of the past cycle as a base
XX
– JUDGMENT:
·
Experience of the natural process of growth and maturation
· Moving to new phase in your life
· Celebrating the transition
XXI
– WORLD:
·
Everything is available to you
· Choices are multiple and complex
· Strength in the ability to be open to all the alternatives
Minor
Arcana & Court Cards
ACES – BEGINNING
· Wands –
a new identity
· Cups – a new emotion or insight
· Swords – a new idea
· Pentacles – a new form or pattern
TWOS – AFFIRMING
· Wands –
claiming and validating the self
· Cups – validating a feeling
· Swords – affirming a philosophy or lifestyle
· Pentacles – choosing a physical path
THREES – PLANNING
· Wands –
defining and clarifying the identity
· Cups – emotional or intuitive clarification
· Swords – planning a lifestyle; clarifying ideas
· Pentacles – planning secure structures
FOURS – MANIFESTING
· Wands –
manifesting a new identity
· Cups – acting on what you feel
· Swords – acting on what you think
· Pentacles – making something tangible
FIVES – ADJUSTING
· Wands –
adjusting the identity
· Cups – emotional or intuitive adjustments
· Swords – philosophical adjustments
· Pentacles – physical adjustments
SIXES – REPEATING
· Wands –
a predictable personality
· Cups – a regular emotional cycle
· Swords – a regular routine
· Pentacles – predictable physical cycles
SEVENS – IMAGINING
· Wands –
experimenting with different roles
· Cups – emotional variety and exploration
· Swords – mental flexibility
· Pentacles – physical experimentation
EIGHTS – ORGANIZING
· Wands –
re-examining the identity
· Cups – evaluating feelings
· Swords – organizing thoughts
· Pentacles – organizing physical things
NINES – INTEGRATING
· Wands –
the integrated self, moving forward
· Cups – flowing feelings
· Swords – integrated thoughts
· Pentacles – integrating security
TENS – HESITATING
· Wands –
an identity question
· Cups – an emotional or intuitive crossroads
· Swords – a philosophical choice point
· Pentacles – a physical crossroads
PAGES – RISKING
· Wands –
taking identity risks
· Cups – emotional risk-taking
· Swords – risks in thoughts or lifestyle
· Pentacles – security risks
KNIGHTS – FOCUSSING
· Wands –
focusing on the self
· Cups – emotional or intuitive focus
· Swords – philosophical focus
· Pentacles – focused in the material world
QUEENS – FULFILLING
· Wands –
a mature identity
· Cups – emotional or intuitive maturity
· Swords – intellectual maturity
· Pentacles – physical competence
KINGS – RELEASING
·
Wands – releasing an old
identity
· Cups – releasing
an emotional pattern
· Swords – releasing
an old lifestyle or idea
· Pentacles – releasing
something physical
1, 2, 3 – the conceptual
level
4,
5, 6
– the actualized level
7,
8, 9
– the expanded level
P,
K, Q, K
– the fulfilled level
Wands – Fire
Cups – Water
Swords – Air
Pentacles – Earth
The
Suits of the Minor Arcana
WANDS –
(Batons, Staves, Rods) – (Clubs) – FIRE
·
Basic nature: Progressing, acting, future-oriented
· Growth and awareness of the self and all its potential
· Identity and ego
· Your personal direction
· Roles you want to play
· “Who am I and where am I going?”
· “How can I creatively express who I am?”
CUPS – (Coupes, Grails) –
(Hearts) – WATER
·
Basic nature: Centering, securing what exists, building on past
foundations
· Growth and awareness of the unconscious and all its
potential
· Level on which you interact with others on a non-verbal,
emotional plane
· Subconscious gateway to spiritual awareness and psychic
activity
· Feeling your connection with the universe
· “What are my emotional needs and how do I meet
them?”
· “How am I connected to the universe on an unconscious
level?”
SWORDS – (Epees) – (Spades)
– AIR
·
Basic nature: Progressing, acting, future-oriented
· Growth and development of the conscious mind
· Developing your system of beliefs and philosophy
· Reflect your awareness of the connectedness between
ideas
· You feel an urge to communicate your own ideas and
get feedback from others
· Involvement in discussion and communication
· “What so I think and how do I share, teach or
act out what I think?”
· “What is my philosophy of life and how does my
lifestyle reflect that philosophy?”
PENTACLES – (Disks, Deniers, Coins)
– (Diamonds) – EARTH
·
Basic nature: Centering, securing what exists, building on past
foundations
· Growth and development of groundedness in the material,
physical world
· Helps you determine how secure you feel in your physical
reality
· Concerned with financial security and material resources
· Job or career – practical work you do in your
world
· Your body and health
· Sexual or physical interaction with others
· “What are my physical and security needs and
how do I meet them?”
· “How am I grounded in the material world?”
YES OR NO QUESTIONS
Minor Arcana:
·
Odds – Yes
· Evens – No
· Page – Yes
· Knight – No
· Queen – Yes
· King – No
Major Arcana:
·
Yes, if you want to put energy into working with the concept
of the card
· No, if you don’t want to work with the concept
of the card
Upright:
·
If yes, definitely yes
· If no, definitely no
Reversed:
·
If yes, lay the foundation now for later; it may not seem like
yes now, but it will eventually be yes, after a delay
· If no, it may not seem like no now, but it will eventually
be no, after a delay
Astrological
Correspondences of the
Tarot Major Arcana
FOOL |
URANUS |
MAGICIAN |
MERCURY |
HIGH
PRIESTESS |
MOON |
EMPRESS |
VENUS |
EMPEROR |
ARIES |
HIEROPHANT |
TAURUS |
LOVERS |
GEMINI |
CHARIOT |
CANCER |
STRENGTH |
LEO |
HERMIT |
VIRGO |
WHEEL
OF FORTUNE |
JUPITER |
JUSTICE |
LIBRA |
HANGED
MAN |
NEPTUNE |
DEATH |
SCORPIO |
TEMPERANCE |
SAGITTARIUS |
DEVIL |
CAPRICORN |
TOWER |
MARS |
STAR |
AQUARIUS |
MOON |
PISCES |
SUN |
SUN |
JUDGMENT |
PLUTO |
WORLD |
SATURN |
