Kooch Daniels studied with Harish Johari for 20 years and is also a student of Sri Amritanandamayi. She is the coauthor, with Victor Daniels, Ph.D., of Tarot d’Amour and lives in Sonoma County, California.

Victor Daniels, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology at Sonoma State University. He was the first director of the India Studies program at Sonoma and studied meditation with Harish Johari and Jakusho Kwong-Roshi. He is the coauthor, with Kooch Daniels, of Tarot d'Amour and lives in Sonoma County, California.

CHAPTER 1

GETTING STARTED

It [the tarot] is a monumental and unique work ... strong and simple like thearchitecture of the pyramids, consequently long-lasting like them; it is a bookwhich, as it speaks, makes us think; and surely one of the finest things whichantiquity has left to us.

—Eliphas Lévy, As Cited By Oswald Wirth in Tarot of the Magicians

Your personal connection with the cards is the key to unveiling their mysteries.The more you study them, the more they tell you and the deeper you are drawninto the depths of your own psyche.

Just studying a book—even this one—won't teach you the magic of the tarot. Youhave to get to know the cards on a familiar, personal level—treating them likegood friends with whom you can converse about matters great and small, andsometimes share your deepest secrets. Some cards help you feel better aboutyourself and your life, some cause you to question particular attitudes andactions, some help you use your mind more effectively, and some help you open upto your feelings, intuition, and hidden potential. When you share your hopes andfears with the cards, often they answer back, sometimes in surprising ways.

If you don't already have a deck, now's the time to get one. Metaphysicalbookstores usually have a variety of demonstration sets that you can lookthrough in your search for a deck that's right for you. Exploring various setsand comparing their colors, styles, and stances will help you find one youespecially like. The more you enjoy looking at your deck, the more interestedyou'll be in studying it, and the more quickly you'll become acquainted with it.In turn, the more time you spend playing with the cards, the faster you'll learnhow each card communicates with you about mind, body, heart, and soul.

Students sometimes ask if it's OK to use someone else's deck. This question isbest answered by your own intuition. When you look at cards that others haveused, ask yourself how they feel. Do you get a good feeling from them, or dothey feel strange? If you feel good using them, they'll work for you. If youfeel weird about using someone else's cards, they probably won't work in apositive way.

Using Your Cards

Whether you're a psychologist, sorcerer, yogini, or soccer mom, when you firstbegin to use your cards, you may want to think about your relationship with themand your purpose for using them. Whether you plan to use them for personalinquiry or for doing readings for others, you'll want to create a special bondbetween you and your cards. Your personal ritual to connect with them can belarge or small, uniquely your own, or something borrowed from a spiritualtradition, like doing a Native American chant to communicate with the GreatSpirit. You may want to use candles, incense, or aromatherapy to make anoffering to the spirit who will be your inner guide as you ponder the cards'messages. Before I begin to use a new deck, I say a prayer and ask the goddessof esoterica and magic to shine her light to help me see the meaning of thecards clearly.

The first question I present to a new deck of cards is: "Will you work for me?"I need to know if the cards and I will be able to communicate. If the first cardcontains positive images, I assume the answer is yes. In time, it will becomeobvious whether a deck will work for you, because you'll find yourself eitherusing your cards often or putting them in a drawer behind something you deemmore important.

Whatever method you choose for initiating your cards, we recommend tucking themunder your pillow for a night to let them rest under your dreaming, subconsciousmind. This can enliven your relationship with the cards and improve your chancesfor a meaningful connection with them.

Putting your deck in a silk cloth or wooden box will protect your cards, andperhaps invite you to play with them. Covering your cards can also protect themfrom unnecessary worldly energy so they'll work better for you.

The Structure of the Tarot

The tarot is divided into two parts: 22 major arcana cards and 56 minor arcanacards divided into four suits. The major, or greater, arcana is allegorical,illustrated in the language of symbols. It describes various passages a personmay take during the earthly journey. Love/hate, pleasure/pain,problems/resolutions, death/rebirth, and other transitions are visually depictedthrough a symbolic dialogue that can best be understood when you balance yourconscious rational understanding with your unconscious intuitive understanding.The more you feel, as well as think, about a card's symbolic content, the moreit will tell you.

The minor arcana, or lesser trumps, are represented in four suits: cups, swords,pentacles, and wands. Each suit corresponds to one of the four ancient elementsand to an essential dimension of life. Cups are linked to the element of waterand with emotional matters. Swords, representing the element of air, areconnected with various kinds of mental energy. Wands, linked to the element offire, are the creative, enterprising passions. Pentacles, or the element ofearth, correspond with activity on the material plane, especially career andfinances. Each suit consists of cards numbered 1 through 10, and four courtcards: a king, a queen, a knight, and a page.

The Major Arcana: Storybook of Life

The major arcana, or major trumps, are a pictorial storybook of humanconsciousness. They depict the most important symbols in the tarot, illustratingpivotal stages in life's unfolding journey. They are considered so vital thatsome readers choose to do readings using them alone, without the minor arcanacards. They are numbered from 1, The Magician, to 21, The World. A card numberedzero, The Fool, can be placed at either the beginning or the end of theirsequence.

The symbols in the major cards illustrate the gamut of life's experiences. Birthand death, pleasure and pain, heroes and villains, lovers and hermits, successand challenge, and evolution and transformation are represented in powerfulimages that reflect polarities that we all face as we swim through the myriadcurrents in the river of life. Spiritually, their substance has been correlatedwith unlocking the mysteries of the wisdom of the soul, but it is worldlyconcerns, relationships, and loves that lead most people to consult the cards.Fortunately, the symbols speak to both heart and soul. Just as tantric yogisembrace their passion as they walk their spiritual path, the cards can focusequally on enlightenment or lust, and cast light on whatever concern a person isquestioning....