Brief Background of the Tarot

You do not have to remember all of the facts below. Just read the information and know that we will move through everything in more depth later in the book. This part of the book gives you the basics around how the tarot was created.

I am talking about tarot cards throughout this book, not oracle cards. There is a difference.

Tarot decks always have seventy-eight cards, and all seventy-eight have the exact same meaning, just interpreted in different ways. The basic principles are always the same. Oracle decks are different from deck to deck. Some oracle decks are about animals, or fairies, or dolphins, for instance, whereas all tarot decks are related to humans and human existence and growth.

Occasionally an author will create a seventy-eight card tarot deck and then add an extra card as a wild card – an unlimited potential card. For instance, I own a deck which has a seventy-ninth card called the unlimited potential card.

This is a tarot deck that doesn't have seventy-eight cards in it:

This probably looks very familiar to most people.

Lots of people use tarot cards without realizing it, and I have met many people that say that they've never been brave enough to use tarot cards, and yet they play poker with friends. The fifty-two card playing deck is actually a tarot deck.

Now we consider the five elements split up against the fifty-two playing card deck. (You don't need to remember this now; just read on.)

• Earth: diamonds, the precious gem we find in the earth. Everything that feeds us comes from the earth.

• Air: Spade comes from the Italian word for sword, which cuts through the air.

• Fire: A Club is wood, and wood burns.

• Water: The heart holds the emotions; tears of joy and sadness.

• There is no Spirit suit in the fifty-two-card playing deck.

The fifty-two-card playing deck has the above four suits of cards. Each suit has thirteen cards, from one (ace) to ten and jack, queen, and king.

The jack, queen, and king were added around the 15th century, as royalty didn't appreciate having a reading when there were cards that were appropriate for every man. Royalty wanted their own cards, and this was at a time when the boy in the family was the prince and girls were considered less important. Therefore, the jack, was added to indicate the child of royalty – jack (child), queen, and king.

As time went on, it became important for the royals to show a difference between their sons and daughters, and the prince card was born - the jack becoming the princess. The court cards becoming the princess (jack), the prince (new), and the queen and king.

The major change to the tarot deck was the inclusion of the Spirit suit. Awareness of spirituality meant that people wanted to describe our soul's journey in this lifetime and beyond, and therefore the twenty-two cards were created to describe the soul's journey on earth.

The spirit suit, or Major Arcana, major secrets, or soul secrets suit was added as people developed spiritually. People wanted to understand where they were on their soul's journey, rather than their physical journey, and that's why this suit was added.

So if you add the cards above (fifty-two) plus the four new princes (fifty-six) plus the twenty-two Major Arcana cards then you will get seventy-eight cards for the now standard tarot deck.

The fifty-six cards are called the Minor Arcana, and the twenty-two spirit cards are called the Major Arcana - minor secrets and major secrets.

The word arcana is the plural of arcanum, which means profound secret.

The Minor Arcana in the tarot are a collection of basic secrets, and the Major Arcana are a collection of soul secrets. Together the full set of tarot cards explains the secrets within our lives.

Below is a picture of the spirit suit, which is also known as the Major Arcana:

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

You can create your own tarot deck if you purchase a fifty-two card playing deck, add in four prince cards, and then add twenty-two Major Arcana cards. The result is a full set of current tarot cards.

I hope this helps you understand how tarot decks have evolved over the centuries.

Finding a Tarot Deck that Suits You

There are so many tarot decks on the market that it can make you dizzy trying to find one, so don't look yet. Consider your life and what is important to you. Ask yourself questions like;

• Do I prefer being outside more during the day or night? Would I resonate more with pictures of daytime or night-time?

• Do I prefer looking at pictures of elves, forests, or stars, or do I even care about those things?

• Would I like a tarot deck that's specific to a healing modality; e.g., tarot cards with herbs on them?

• Do I want pictures that are close to the original tarot, or am I happy to go with something more creative and artistic?

• Do I want pictures with lots of color or just simple drawings and/or numbers?

• Do I want a tarot deck with writing on the card to remind me what the meaning is?

If you would like a deck that has meanings written on it, then please try my deck: http:// www.eleanorhammond.com.au/index.php/store/tarot-cards

There are many tarot decks available and it's worth understanding what you want first before browsing the Internet or stores, as you may be tempted to purchase a deck that doesn't suit you, just because it's on special, or looks pretty.

The difficulty with purchasing a deck online is that you can't hold them in your hands first. The cards may feel too thin or be of poor quality - perhaps printed on cardboard that isn't gloss laminated. Cardboard tarot cards look authentic but age quickly and need replacing regularly. If you're like me, you prefer a long-term relationship with the cards and will be upset if the special cards you purchased show signs of age not long after starting using them.

Tip: Really consider the box that the deck comes in. The soft boxes have a flap on the inside, which makes it hard to push the cards down and can damage the cards over time, and the softer boxes tend to break very quickly. If you have a wooden box and some soft material (most people use silk) to store your new cards in, it doesn't matter what box they come in. If you like to carry your cards around with you, then the box that the cards come in needs to be sturdy to protect them.

Blessing Your Cards

The easiest way of cleansing your cards is to have the intention of clearing old energy off of them as you pick up each card. The power of your...