By Lee Ann Cornell
There's
an old Chinese proverb that goes like this, "a picture is
worth ten thousand words." The Tarot is a tool that may be
used to open up volumes of esoteric wisdom, a universal
language relaying universal concepts in pictorial form. If
you open up a deck of these cards, which are true to the
original concepts, you may begin to see the magic of this
wonderful universal language as it unfolds before your very
eyes. The artwork is beautiful and mysterious.
The first historical evidence of the Tarot dates back to the
middle of the 15th century. An artist by the name of
Bonifaceio Bembo painted a set of unnamed and unnumbered
cards for the Visconti family for an Italian game called the
Terocchi. This was primarily a game for gambling and to a
much lesser extent a device for fortune telling. It is
believed that the tarot dates back much further than this
but there appears to be no historical evidence to back this
up.
The ancient mysteries of the universe are hidden within
these cards. Through working with tarot you may begin to
gain insight into sacred geometry, mythology, psychology
astrology and philosophy. It can open doorways to an
understanding of universal laws and concepts.
The tarot cards are a representation of the various cycles
that we continuously pass through in our daily lives. A
reflection of personal growth, accomplishments,
opportunities and challenges.
There are 78 cards in a deck, 22 major arcana and 56 minor
arcana. Arcana means
secret knowledge. The major arcana reflects our value
systems, psychological growth and spiritual growth.
The minor arcana reflects our everyday experience, aspects
of personalities, behavior patterns, feelings, interest and
situations we periodically find ourselves in. By reflecting
upon these cards, we can raise our level of consciousness
and gain a deeper level of awareness within ourselves and
the world around us. There are four suits in the minor
arcana and the elements of these suites also appear in the
major arcana. Each card is also assigned a numerical value.
Upon gaining some basic knowledge of numbers and the four
elements, a pattern will emerge and reading will become
easier.
The Pentacles are related to the element of earth and the
physical plane. This suit is a representation of
materialization, money, career, education, business,
responsibility, progress. The Swords are related to the
element of air and the mental plane. This is a very erratic
element. This suit is a representation of thoughts, ideas,
viewpoints, analysis, criticism, force, defeat, conflict,
anger, hurt, pain and despair. The Cups are related to the
element of water and the emotional plane. This element is
also associated with the subconscious mind and our spirit.
This suit is related to relationships, love, feelings,
passion, desires, compassion and sympathy, joy and
commitment. The Wands are related to the element of fire and
are associated with growth. This suit represents creativity,
inspiration, enterprise, expansion, competition,
progression, recognition, ambitions, drive, faith and
limitations.
The tarot is not a play thing designed for mere fortune
telling. It is not a quick and easy path to enlightenment.
Any true path to enlightenment requires patience and a
certain amount of time must be devoted. It is not an
overnight journey. It is a journey of a lifetime.
