The King of Kings

"Set all things in their own particular place, and know that order is the greates grace.” – John Dryden

Spirit Card Meanings and Advice

0 (22) - The Fool

If this is your card, your Spirit simply begs for knowledge. And that's being the case, it's your job to soak it up. Study, learn, and share your findings with others. Know that those who learn form you will have something to teach you as well.

1 - The Magician

Should the Magician appear as your Spirit card, you have a very important purpose. You're here to solve problems, repair relationships, and turn situations around for the good of all. There's no need to become overwhelmed, though. Just fix one thing at a time, and know that the world will become a better place for your efforts.

2 - The High Priestess

Connection is the key to High Priestess. And when it appears as the Spirit card, it signals a direct link between the worlds of spirit and mundane. Know that you are the conduit from which all information flows, and it's your job to help others stay balanced between the two realms.

3 - The Empress

If the Empress is your Spirit card, you were born to nurture others. It's up to you to support goals, fertilize dreams, and help them to blossom into reality. Your mission is also one of unconditional love. Remember, though, that this sort of love never assumes or binds. It flows, instead, on a steady course - constant, fluid, and all-encompassing.

4 - The Emperor

When the Emperor appears as the Spirit card, it's your job to advise. That being the case, always look at every angle of a situation before opening your mouth. If you must be critical, be constructive. In doing so, you'll ease the path of others as they travel life's journey.

5 - The Hierophant

Although the Hierophant is usually seen as a nonconformist of sorts, in the position of the Spirit card, it denotes the ultimate explorer. This means that it's up to you to present options, possibilities, and fresh perspectives to those who wouldn't otherwise see them. This is, by no means, an easy job. Know, however, that it is an important one in the Universal scheme of things.

6 - The Lovers

When the Lovers appears as the Spirit card, your mission falls within the realm of relationships - both intimate and otherwise. It's your job to help others not only see the value of commitment, fair play, and constant communication, but to help them follow through. It doesn't stop there, though. The other part of your mission is to point out any harmful relationships, and give others the courage to end them.

7 - The Chariot

When it comes to the Tarot, the Chariot is the ultimate mover and shaker. Falling in the position of the Spirit card, though, its mission is one of completion. That being the case, it's your job to help others take action and follow through - even in seemingly impossible situations. In doing so, you will not only help them to understand that nothing is attainable, but give them the courage to move forward on their chosen path.

8 - Strength

Strength in the position of the Spirit card has nothing to do with brute force. Instead, it's a matter of helping others stand up for their beliefs, and what they feel is right and wrong. There's also another side to the coin here, though. It's also up to you to help them see when their beliefs are flawed, to give them the courage to admit it, and to assist them in stepping down from the soapbox before others follow their lead.

9 - The Hermit

When the Hermit appears as a Spiritual card, it means that you are the keeper of the Universal light. And as good as it sounds, it's not an easy job. Why? Because your mission is not only to help instill self-confidence and self-worth in others, but to convince them to let their personal lights - talents, abilities, etc. - shine forth to guide the rest of the world. Know that by doing your job well, you'll do more that help those around you see their personal value - you'll make the world a better place to live.

10 - The Wheel of Fortune

The Wheel of Fortune spins in constant motion, and if this is your Spirit card, you probably feel like you're on a merry-go-round with no chance of stopping. This is normal, for it's your job to help others handle the ups and downs of everyday living. Celebrate when they're on top. Speak words of encouragement when they're down. And always keep them mindful of the turning wheel - for when things hit the bottom, there's no place to go but up again.

11 - Justice

If Justice is your Spirit card, you were born with a natural sense of fair play. That being the case, it's your mission to point out when others have gone too far, or when they need to back off and reevaluate But that's not all. It's also important to lend encouragement to those who have difficulty standing up for themselves. Only then will they get a fair shake and receive the justice they so sorely deserve.

12 - The Hanged Man

In the Spirit card position, the Hanged One represents the balance between the mundane world and that of spirit. This means that it's up to you to help others see the importance of both. Too much of one or the other, and life becomes difficult. Helping them to strike an equal balance will not only make their lives easier, but bring a feeling of accomplishment you've never attained before.

13 - Death

Of all the cards in the Major Arcana, Death is, perhaps, the most misunderstood - especially when it comes to its appearance as the Spiritual card. Your mission here has nothing to do with death at all. Rather, it's up to you to point out when it's time to stop, when it's time to start over, and when it's time to bring fresh ideas into play. This is a very important job in the Universal Plan, for without your help, the realms of reality and spirituality would truly cease to exist.

14 - Temperance

Patience, moderation, and simplicity are key when Temperance arrives as the Spirit card. And in our fast-paced world of "more is better," that makes your mission very important. For this reason, actively search out ways to help others understand that they should never settle for what's available, for that which is worthwhile is always worth waiting for. It's also important to show that a simple life - void of societal and material trappings - makes the path of life much easier to tread.

15 - The Devil

Like Death, the Devil card is very misunderstood - especially when it comes to the Spirit card position. Simply put, your mission involves teaching others to grab the good in life, and to understand that they deserved it. This often takes some doing, though, since human beings tend to sabotage themselves when extraordinary luck comes their way. In this case, it's your job to make them see that the Universe offers only what is necessary, and refusing its help is paramount to the proverbial slap in the face.

16 - The Tower

When the Tower appears in the Spirit card position, your mission is that of mover and shaker. It's up to you to offer new ideas and fresh perspectives even when it isn't popular. Know that it's often necessary to pull the rug out from under those who stagnate, for change - while seldom pleasant - is always imminent. And without it, humankind will cease to evolve. This makes your job very important, indeed.

17 - The Star

The Star holds, perhaps, one of the most important Spirit purposes of all. Simply put, it is that of giving hope. That being the case, it's your job to help others to love themselves, and to feel good about themselves. Once you do, they'll realize that no personal goal - no matter how impossible it seems at the onset - is unachievable.

18 - The Moon

When the Moon rises to the Spirit card position, it's time to make others aware of the changes going on around them. Help them to remove those rose-colored glasses, then present fact. Only then will they be able to see the world as it really is. And only then will they be able to embrace the lives they were born to live.

19 - The Sun

The Sun is a very fortunate card, indeed - especially when it falls within the realm of Spirit purpose. That's because its message makes your mission easy, fun, and enlightening. It's only up to you to convince others that the Ancients are smiling on them, that their success is imminent. And that being the case, all they have to do is reach out, grab it, and embrace all the happiness it has to offer.

20 - Judgement

Judgement calls for a hands-on approach when it falls in the Spirit card position. That's because it's your mission to help others look at both sides of the coin, and make decisions based on nothing more than the facts. Since human beings tend to be lead by their hearts rather than their minds, though, this is no easy task. While your work will be difficult, know that it's important - for only through your efforts will those around you learn to make firm decisions that will get them through life and ease its path.

21 - The World

As with the Sun, you are fortunate if the World appears as your Spirit card. Why? Because completing your mission is only a simple matter of showing those around you that they are in position to have whatever they want. All they have to do is ask. While this job can be fun and rewarding, understand that it's also up to you to let others know that any requests must be very specific. That's because the Universe "sees" things only in black and white, so it will only deliver an exact duplicate of that which is requested - nothing more and nothing less.

How the tarot works

If you look through the vast tarot literature, you will find all sorts of interpretations on how the tarot works and why it is possible to use it as a divination tool. What I have to say right now is - the tarot does not predict future. If you want to know when you are going to get married, the tarot is not going to give you the date. However, it can give you an insight into the current relationship, pinpoint problem spots, and offer solutions. I understand the tarot as a mirror through which I can see the truth about myself, if I chose to open my eyes, of course.

Some tarot readers approach tarot with a great deal oh mysticism. Some write it all off to chance. Others still don't know how it works, they just know that it does. And yet there are those who tried it for a short period of time, saw no immediate results, and claimed it being a bogus.

I believe that when I receive a message through pulling a particular card, it comes from that source of wisdom that is universal. I picture it as a giant interactive information field surrounding our planet that goes far beyond, yet invisible to human eye. I do not consider myself religious. However, I was born into the family of Russian orthodox Christians. We tend to believe that each person has a guardian angel (or even several of them), a guide in the world of Spirit, who helps us quietly in our mundane life, stirs us into certain directions. This relationship is ever present but our conscious tends to ignore it. Talking about intuition! I am pretty sure everyone have experienced it, and not once. But since we cannot reasonably explain it, we just shake it off as some sort of spook.

Some people call these entities the soul, the super conscious, the higher self, or the inner guide. Some tend to believe that there are separate Tarot Guides who favor those holding the deck. It doesn't matter what you call them, really. It's important to know that the guide can help you tune into that universal information field and draw out the information you seek. Sounds easy?

Not so fast. When was the last time you actually asked for help and guidance from your Higher Self? Have you done this, EVER? Since you are already on this page and in the process of reading this line, I may guess you asked. You probably suspect that there is something bigger than a human brain. You probably experienced quite a few encounters which you can't rationalize, but cannot write off to coincidence either.

Anyways, it's just a thought. I believe that every time I reach for the deck, I signal to my guide that I am ready to receive the missing pearls of wisdom. I open the door and let him (or her, or them) in. I want them to provide information in symbols that I have capacity to understand. That's what the tarot is - a huge set of symbols refined through generations of readers - a pathway to knowledge that you can't fit into your conscious.

Some people do not need the cards to access Higher Wisdom. We usually call them psychics, mediums, clairvoyants, etc. The tarot cards can help you until you reach your guide on your own. In the beginning I would suggest not to concentrate on all that psychic hip. Just play with the cards, and have fun! Everything will come with practice.

Technorati Tags:
clairvoyance, divination, guardian angel, how tarot works, inner guide, tarot blog, tarot for beginners
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |

The origin and meaning of the tarot

I will not be going into a detailed history of the tarot here, it is not that important. However, for those of you who still wonder, I quote Joan Bunning.

"The origin of the tarot is a mystery. We do know for sure that the cards were used in Italy in the fifteenth century as a popular card game. Wealthy patrons commissioned beautiful decks, some of which have survived. The Visconti-Sforza, created in 1450 or shortly thereafter, is one of the earliest and most complete.

Later in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the cards were discovered by a number of influential scholars of the occult. These gentlemen were fascinated by the tarot and recognized that the images on the cards were more powerful that a simple game would suggest. They revealed (or created!) the "true"history of the tarot by connecting the cards to Egyptian mysteries, Hermic philosophy, the Kabbalah, alchemy, and other mystical systems. These pursuits continued into the early part of the twentieth century when the tarot was incorporated into the practices of several secret societies, including the Order of the Golden Dawn.

Although the roots of the tarot are in the occult tradition, interest in the cards has expanded in the last few decades to include many perspectives. New decks have been created that reflect these interests. There are Native American, herbal, mythological, and Japanese decks, among others.

The tarot is most commonly viewed as a tool for divination. A traditional tarot reading involves a seeker - someone who is looking for answers to personal questions - and a reader - someone who knows how to interpret the cards. After the seeker has shuffled the cards and cut the deck, the reader lays out the chosen cards in a pattern called spread. Each position in a spread has a meaning, and each card has a meaning as well. The reader combines the two meanings to shed light on the seeker's question.

A simple process, but rarely presented in a simple way. In films, we always see the tarot being used in a seedy parlor or back room. An old woman, seated in shadows, reads the cards for a nervous, young girl. The crone lifts her wrinkled finger and drops it ominously on the Death card. The girl draws back, frightened by this sign of her impending doom.

This aura of darkness clings to the tarot even now. Some religions shun the cards, and the scientific establishment condemns them as symbols of unreasoning, a holdover from an unenlightened past. Let us set aside these shadowy images for now and consider the tarot for what it is - the deck of picture cards. The question becomes, what can we do with them?

The answer lies with the unconscious - that deep level of memory and awareness that resides within each of us, but outside our everyday experience. Even though we ignore the action of the unconscious most of the time, it profoundly affects everything we do. In his writing, Sigmund Freud stresses the irrational, primitive aspect of the unconscious. He thought it was the home of our most unacceptable desires and urges. His contemporary Carl Jung emphasized the positive, creative aspects of the unconscious. He tried to show that it has a collective component that touches universal qualities.

We may never know the full range and power of the unconscious, but there are ways to explore its landscape. Many techniques have been developed for this purpose - psychotherapy, dream interpretation, visualization, and meditation. The tarot is another such tool...

... Projection is one reason why the tarot cards are valuable. Their intriguing pictures and patterns are effective in tapping the unconscious. This is the personal aspect of the tarot, but the cards also have the collective component. As humans, we all have certain common needs and experiences. The images on the tarot cards capture these universal moments and draw them out consistently. People tend to react to the cards in similar ways because they represent archetypes. Over many centuries, the tarot has evolved into a collection of the most basic patterns of human thought and emotion...

...Meaning is a mysterious quality that arises at the juncture of inner and outer realities. There is a message in everything - trees, songs, even trash - but only when we are open to perceive it. The tarot cards convey many messages because of the richness of their images and connections. More importantly, tarot readings communicate meaning because we bring to them our sincere desire to discover deeper truths about our lives. By seeking meaning in this way, we honor its reality and give it a chance to be revealed."

Technorati Tags:
tarot origin, tarot meaning, tarot blog, learn tarot
Add to: | Technorati | Digg | del.icio.us | Yahoo | BlinkList | Spurl | reddit | Furl |