The Study of Tarot:  A Study Guide

Welcome to Tarot According to Karma!

Karma

Ignore everything you think you know about Tarot and take a moment to think of it through my eyes.  Thirty-five years ago, I was right where you are. Asking the same questions.  Wondering how to begin, If I even can, and who do I know would think to GIVE me a deck?  Is it ok to ask?  

What I discovered was old wives’ tales.  Every single piece of advice was dogma that kept me FROM exploring the Tarot.  Very little of it added any value.  Whether you wrap them in silk and soak them in moonlight, whether you buy your own or it’s gifted, if you start with Rider Waite or not, some principles are universally true.

The origin of tarot dates back to ancient Mesopotamia (Caldia).  Tarot was originally utilized to enhance spiritual understanding and to meditate upon spiritual principles working with Archetypes.

And this principle is what I will be working with, the core of tarot which is, essentially, Archetypes.  The brain works in images and the body in feelings.  It is these two premises that we will be working with to evoke what you need to know and to allow spirit to speak to you in its own language.  Now that you are listening, you will know what to watch out for.

Firstly, I don’t insist you start with the Rider Waite deck.  In fact, I recommend you don’t.  Personally, I have never had an affinity for it and it always eluded me.  It never “spoke” to me.  This is why I say you don’t HAVE to.  If You understand that the premise of using the Tarot deck as a tool, like a calculator to long math, you will be able to utilize ANY deck.  

Keep in mind that Oracle decks are wildly different than Tarot as the structure varies.  You can certainly use this study mechanism with an Oracle deck, however, keep in mind this study program is to understand the structure of Tarot.  Oracle decks work with Archetypes also however it is up to the creators discretion how many are used, whether it is 22, like the Major Arcana for example,  or 48 or any number combination really.  It can be arbitrary.

I recommend you select a deck with images you resonate with.  Keeping in mind that we are working with Archetypes, the images you have congruence and an affinity with, will help you the most. This is where I say go where led. Choose something that speaks to you.  Be it Angels, Fairies, sacred geometry, druid, cultural (Ex: native american, African, Druidic, etc) or modern, these images will evoke something for you.  If you are a Star Wars fan I can guarantee you will understand the Hierophant if I put a Yoda on it. 

When you have your deck, separate it into the 5 suits. The Major Arcana and the 4 Minor suites.  Set the Minors aside for now and concentrate on the Major Arcana.

You will study the Major Arcana FIRST and do it well.  I promise you, if you front load the work, the rest almost unravels for you.  There are mirror images within the structure of the Minor Arcana that will correlate.

• Get a good notebook to dedicate to this study, as you will reference it often moving forward. 
• Plan for a couple of hours of study time for the first session with time to follow up in 2 days. 
• If you want it to stick, you repeat this initial step with a slight variation the second time to maximize memory.  I’d recommend a meditation session or ritual before you study, light a candle for example, inviting Spirit.  You are alerting your subconscious, your spirit guides, your Higher Self, to participate. 

STUDY SESSION 1:  The Archetypes

Take out the Major Arcana from your deck and gather your notebook and pen. Use one full page per card.  This gives you PLENTY of room to take notes, draw images, and add to your notes for future reference and ALSO if you get another deck, you can use the other half of the page to reference the differences, for as each person has a different perspective, so do decks. This is the value of having multiple decks, perspective.

Beginning with The Magician (yes I know, most begin with The Fool, however, when you consider from my perspective you will see why we save this for LAST).  Examine The Magician for symbols, images, colors, themes and any elements.  Write them down.  Now go to the booklet that you have that came with the book and review what the artist is trying to show you about your deck.  Write down any insights that come to you, or anything that you “notice”,  What does it evoke?  What does it mean to YOU?  Are there any NEW insights or comparisons? ADD THESE.

Now repeat through every one of the 22 cards ending with The Fool, understanding that the Tarot is a walk of the individual on this life path, that The Fool now represents “CHOICE” and that the Archetypes were set up BEFORE The Fool arrived and are already present in life for them to Explore.  The Major Arcana is The Fools experience (the Questioner, the Chooser, the Human Experience).  

STUDY SESSION 2:   Seating the Archetypes

Return to the meditative state and set up your study session exactly as the one prior.  We do this to invoke muscle memory and to bring in Spirit, as we did before, however, this will be half the time. 

In this study session, you will pull out your Major Arcana and read over the notes you took.  As you glance at the card again, and the listing of terms, CIRCLE, the most important, or most profound, impactful, IMPORTANT, themes of that card. You can have anywhere from 5-10.  Move through the Majors until you have a core understanding.

Glance at your cards throughout the next week and the meanings you have written, focusing on the adjectives and meanings you have circled.  

THIS IS YOUR FOUNDATION!  There is no rushing this. You are IMPRINTING these Archetypes with your own.  Take your time.  You will notice as you do this that you will find even MORE associations will flow to you with the depth of the card.  Feel free to add these as you go, as these notes become your reference material to add depth to your readings later.

STUDY SESSION 3:  Numerology

Today we will be working with the Minor Arcana and solely the cards 2-10.  The reason we do this is because you will have an opportunity to see the numerology and balance built within the deck. 

Lay out your Minor Arcana in order.  Line up 4 rows, one above the other, in numerological order.  Now you have an opportunity to “SEE” how the themes of each compare.

Let’s do 2’s for example, understanding Cups is emotions, Wands is Labor/work, Swords is Communication and decision making, Pentacles/Coins is money/resources:

2 of Cups = Balance

2 of Wands = Juggling two things

2 of Swords = In-decision

2 of Coins/Pentacles = Choice between two things

This is a simplified example, but that seems to fit, because the Minor Arcana are simply the verbs and adjectives that are an adjunct to what the Major Arcana are trying to convey.

Take note of each of the cards in its suit and write down what the artist is describing in their image.  You will go back after a couple days and circle the themes as you did with the Major Arcana.

The Court Cards:  Personality and Develpment

Using the same comparisons as The Minor Arcana, I do something a little different with the Court Cards.  Rather than Male or Female, I like to look at them as behaviors.  I feel gendering the cards limits the potential messages.  It is at your discretion to use them this way. 

It can be helpful to think of Pages as a level of maturity or development.  If you think of a prepubescent teenager, the Page is that. Someone guileless, innocent, excited, just like your younger sister or brother or how YOU were at 12-14.  Page of Cups: innocent excitement about love.  

Knights are a little more mature, however, wildly unpredictable.  Knight of Cups: wants all of the commodity and none of the work, likes casual encounters or trysts and is in it for fun.

Queens and Kings:  I use BOTH masculine and feminine QUALITIES as well as INWARD versus OUTWARD work.  Feminine is inward movement or emotional movement and masculine energy has to do with ACTION.  I use these to guide what the cards are trying to tell me about that suit.  I feel that utilizing the cards this way doesn’t grid lock it into gender behaviors or roles, but gives us a broader perspective on quality and character.

Write these meanings down in your notebook, follow up with underlining or circling themes or terms that stand out.

The Aces:  New Beginnings and Mastery

ACES: I consider the Aces to be the trump card, so to speak, of each suit and a pivot point between the minor and major cards.  The Aces are the height of that suit before going higher in effect with the Major Arcana.  It is the “best you can do” or the best that has been done.  

THE FINISH:  The Spreads, Context is EVERYTHING!

When you have had a chance to review your deck and get in relationship with the cards, invoke spirit and create a rhythm with them, it is time to explore spreads.  I don’t recommend 3 card spreads as It is my personal opinion that you are cutting off Spirit mid sentence so to speak.  Give them room to talk to you. Try an inverted pyramid.  First row 5, then 4, 3, 2, 1.  The top row is the come from.  Center the current situation,  Last card end result. Center what they are thinking or is influenced by.

Try a Celtic Cross, it gives you context.

Don’t limit your spread.  If you feel there is more to be said, expand and lay cards on top. You have 78 beautiful adjectives and influences. Allow them to speak to you.  Play with them. Pull a card out and channel it, place it on your Altar or in a place you can see it. I like to do this when I am working with a specific energy. We want the Archetypes to play a part in your daily life. 

(you can also look at the Court cards in Astrology Terms: Cardinal/Tropical, Mutable, Fixed) as there is a multitude of Astrology symbolism within Tarot also.  

PEARLS:   Things to remember

PEARL: notice if your artist uses Astrology and take note.  That is telling you they have imbued meaning for you.  If you understand Astrology, these are PEARLS or Easter Eggs)

REVERSE MEANINGS: to me is reverse engineering the meaning of the cards, I prefer to use CONTEXT rather than opposition.  As the context of the reading will tell you whether it is a positive or negative thing.  And I also feel it best to use our intuition at this point, take note of your FEELINGS you get when reading the spread. 

CLEARING YOUR DECK:  Use your discretion.  Keep in mind, YOU are the Oracle. The deck is a tool.  Treat Your SELF reverently and in a sacred way when you UTILIZE the tarot and make your walk with them Holy.   

How you shuffle, and who does it is also at the reader’s discretion. I’ve found very little reason not to let others shuffle it, though I prefer to do it myself. 

I hope this helps you.  Please let me know if this works for you! Karma

My Best Advice:

My best advice is and always will be to TRUST YOURSELF, implicitly, and always.  Your higher self is in charge.  And as you come into relationship with your higher self, make it the loudest noise!  There is a reason spirit speaks in a language you best understand.  You have left yourself breadcrumbs. Follow them! Go where led! Dive in and dive in hard.  Treat your spirituality like you did your last diet or work out.  Give it all your all, give it everything and it will reward you accordingly. 

Caminando! Walk with me!  Catch you on te Flip side!