Lesson#15
Lesson 15: Mastering the Tarot
Background: Back when I was still teaching in person, my lesson on the tarot was probably the shortest of all. While short, it does require a lot of time on the part of the student. It is also very powerful.
There is a ton of information available about the history and meaning of the tarot cards. Take from it what you will, discard the rest!
If you have not already done so, please look into cold reading. This is a technique many professional psychics use to make their customers think they received a genuine reading. I suggest you learn about it in detail if you intend to read for anyone other than yourself. I am not advocating that you use cold reading, just that you be aware of the phenomenon so you do not trick yourself into thinking you are better than you really are. The worst thing about being a professional psychic/tarot reader is you are expected to perform every time. The reality of it is that it doesn’t work every time. Being honest with yourself about this and with anyone you might be reading for is an important part of your training. You are not under any pressure to perform.
Before beginning work with any deck remember you must be in an altered state of consciousness. I would recommend entering into a light trance even while selecting the deck you are going to work with. Many bookstores, metaphysical, and occult stores carry a selection of decks. You can order decks online through a number of suppliers.
Select a deck you feel drawn to. The Rider-Waite deck is the classic one. Whatever deck you use, be sure it feels right. You will need to spend a good bit of time with it in order to master tarot reading.
The purpose of tarot reading is to develop your intuition. Given sufficient practice, a good reader can read a deck of blank cards. Skilled readers often know what they are going to say before they even look at the cards.
Charging the deck: Before you begin to work with your chosen deck you need to prepare it. Cast a circle on the new moon. Burn some sandalwood incense and light a white candle. Purify the deck as a whole with the four elements. Be careful not to set them on fire or get them wet!
This method takes some time but it is worth it. It allows you to familiarize yourself with the deck and to use the deck for more than just readings. Go through each card individually with a small, very very small, amount of patchouli oil on the tip of your right forefinger and touch each card while chanting MISTRA DAGA EELCHI OPHE HIS FIERD.
Take some time to meditate on each card after saying this chant five times. Close your eyes and visualize the card in your mind. Merge this image with the physical card when you open your eyes.
Many people cannot do this all in one sitting. If you have to, divide the deck into thirds. Do the first third on the first night of the full moon, and the next two thirds on the next two nights.
Using the deck: When you are ready to do your first reading, take the deck and shuffle them by any method you prefer. Select a few layouts and try them out. Start with the Celtic Cross layout. This is an eleven card layout. The first card is the subject being read for (the querant). Beyond this, the layout varies a little from person to person. Look up a few versions of it and stick with one you like.
Next look up a 3, 5, and 7 card spread. The three card spread is a quick one that gives you a general idea of the situation. A good seven card spread is the horseshoe spread. There are many variations on the wheel of the year. The Tree of Life Spread is another good one.
More than one card can be read together, so if you need more clarification you can place a card below one in your spread or use a layout where two or more positions are read as a single situation.
If you do read for other people, decide in advance if you want to let them touch or shuffle the cards. I have never found this to have any impact on the quality of my readings.
When you have shuffled your cards enough you will know when to stop. For me, there is a “sticky” feeling in the deck. It is different for everyone, so pay attention to the shuffle. Let the cards teach you.
When you have your layout, while in your alpha state, gaze gently at each card and note what draws your attention. If you need to look up the meaning in the booklet that came with the deck or in a book on tarot cards, that is fine the first few times you use them. After that, put the book up! Only refer to it if you are really stuck on a card’s meaning.
The part of the card that draws your attention is the important part. Interpret the meaning in regards to the question or subject being read on. Do this card by card at first. Eventually you will be able to unlock the way the cards interplay with each other and understand how a card’s meaning is modified by other cards appearing in the layout. Each card is also modified by the position it has in the lay out.
With practice you will be able to modify the layouts to meet your needs. You will develop a relationship with your deck. You may even want to spend time meditating on each card or utilize them in your spells. Both of these are great ways to go deeper into the meaning of each card individually and the deck as a whole.
If one card becomes damaged or unusable it is time to retire the deck. Do not try to use an incomplete deck. You can retire it however feels right. You can consign it to the flames or bury it in the earth. A short ritual is appropriate as the card can become an important tool in your spiritual development.
After you have done several readings you may want to go through and reorganize your deck, putting it back in order. This helps you get better acquainted with the deck. Be sure to do a thorough job shuffling before you do your next reading.
Homework: When you have had some time to practice with your deck go ahead and do a reading on me, Mystic Tekaa. Please include the following:
Name of the deck you used
What layout(s) you selected
What card was in each position
What you take each position to represent
An interpretation of the meaning of each card in that position
The reasoning you used to divine that meaning
What drew your attention in that card
An interpretation of the reading as a whole
Any other information you think is important
You can include the time and date of the reading if you like. Let me know if you felt like you had a solid alpha state and if there were any issues or difficulties in doing a reading on me.
The bottom line is that in order to master using the tarot cards, you have to actually use the tarot cards! No book can do that for you, so practice, practice, practice!!!