Understanding a Tarot Card Reading

Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on the
readers ability to perceive not only the symbolic meaning from
the spread, but also the mystical significance. Although every
card of both the Major and the Minor Arcana possesses its own
individual symbolism within the representative images on the
cards, it is the deeper, spiritual enlightenment of the cards
that leads to a greater understanding. Attaining this type of
perception is the key to making Tarot a truly valid part of life.

The 76 cards of a Tarot deck each have a specific, external
meaning. These are specified by the positive and negative
characteristics governing the chief aspects of our lives (Major
Arcana), as well as the day-to-day import reflected in the suits
and by each card within the suits (Minor Arcana).

The representative images, however, go much deeper than what
they portray at first glance. These images address the part of
the psyche beyond our ability to control. They touch our inner
selves, our subconscious, that part of ourselves that
encompasses our innermost core. And this core provides the basis
for all the influences that affect our character, that send both
positive and negative energy, that govern the directional path
in which our lives proceed or stall.

With the Seven of Cups, for example, the surface meaning implies
material wealth. However, when the theme of the card, which
includes delusional thoughts of acquiring wealth, becomes known
to the reader, the Seven of Cups represents something else
altogether. If the asker wants to know, for instance, when he or
she will when the lottery, this card by itself shows the
futility of such a pursuit. However, depending upon the position
of the card in the spread, other cards surrounding that Seven of
Cups, the events that have previously occurred in the
questioners life, and the very deepest driving forces within
that person, the card could very well imply tremendous riches on
the horizon.

The mystical and symbolic meanings of Tarot cards become
intertwined as the practitioner of this secret and closed art
becomes more adept at his or her readings. With experience and
the earnest searching for the deeper meanings found in the
spread of a Tarot deck, the reader eventually comes to
understand how and why this art has persevered over the
centuries as an indicator of the human condition past,
present, and with skill and patience, the future.

Our psyches reach out to instruct, warn, comfort, and console us
in many ways. Throughout the history of mankind, people have
striven to understand their deeper selves, and Tarot remains,
after hundreds of years, as one more tool to do so. So whether
one is just beginning the journey toward understanding or has
been a voyager on the path for many years, the Tarot persists
because it calls to searchers of enlightenment. Tarot beckons
like a sirens song to teach the secret things of the universe.
Will you be one who answers that call?