A Tarot deck contains 78 cards. Twenty-two of these, called the Major Arcana, correspond to significant figures or events in a symbolic journey our psyches go through, sometimes many times, on a big or small scale, in our lives.
The rest of the cards in the deck are divided into four suits, each associated with one of the four elements: Wands (fire), Cups (water), Swords (air), and Pentacles (earth). The resemblance to modern decks of playing cards is found here.
Sixteen cards of these, called the Court cards, tend to correspond either to figures in our real lives or figures that represent a part of our own personalities. Each suit has a Page, Knight, Queen, and King.
The remaining forty cards, called the Minor Arcana, are numbered one through ten of each suit. They often represent current details of a situation; the ins and outs of daily life rather than giant arcs of development or universal themes the way the Major Arcana often do.
Tarot has evolved over centuries, and it continues to evolve. And it’s not an exact science–no Tarot reader will interpret the cards precisely the same way as another. Even if they did, no listener would absorb the information exactly the same way.
A Tarot reading involves the reader blindly selecting and spreading out some cards, usually in a structured array that assigns meaning to the different spots a card is placed in. If they and the client are present together in real space, the client takes part in this, but these days it is often necessary for the reader to spread the cards themself.
It is thought by many that the “randomness” of this act is not truly random; that the act connects with our own unconscious intuition. The truth or falsity of this is unknown. Some Tarot readers identify as psychics and view the cards simply as frames for the direct messages they get. Others, like me, view the cards more as a psychological tool, although I am often surprised to find how on-target a reading feels.
After the cards are laid out, the reader talks with the client about the picture the cards are painting, relating what they see to any question or general theme the client may have requested. It’s not as simple as “you got this card and this card means X.” Everything is about context; a card is interpreted not alone but in how it relates to the cards around it and many other factors.
The kinds of Tarot readings I do are not designed to give specific answers or advice, but they can guide the reader to greater awareness of what’s happening in their own psyche…a complex world, to say the least, and we can all do with a little help in understanding it.
My Tarot Conversations 