Dennis Perez - Private Tarot Consultant

What IS the Tarot?

2012-02-20T08:12:00.001-08:00

What IS the Tarot?

First some history review . . . careful, you might learn something fun . . .

The Tarot's origins are perhaps as misunderstood as the mystical symbols on the cards themselves. One of the earliest decks of Tarot cards to be documented was a hand-painted set created around 1440 for the Duke of Milan. However, these cards were not used for intuitive or ‘reading’ purposes as the Tarot cards of today are. They were used for a card game similar to bridge, and as a muse to inspire and create entertaining poetry.

Lots of people through the ages have promoted the images and text on some of the early decks as having really ancient origins or gypsy ancestry. We have all seen the movies about the early gypsies traveling around in their wagons reading peoples fortunes with Tarot cards, and several ‘scholars’ even claimed to have ‘proven’ that the Tarot was developed by the priests in ancient Egypt! While these tall tales are all very nice, and some are even convincing, they are all romanticized versions of how the cards came to be in the form that we now know them. Most serious sources agree that the roots of these symbolic cards can be traced to traditional playing type cards, developed for traditional card games popular at the time.

The Tarot deck itself is actually made up of two decks, which are called Arcana’s. The “Minor” Arcana has fifty six cards that fall into four suits, and is likely the predecessor of the modern deck of cards that we are familiar with. These cards are numbered one through ten, and the reason that it has fifty six cards instead of fifty two is that each set of court cards has the usual Knight (Jack), King, and Queen, plus an additional card called the ‘Page’, who is the messenger to the court. This deck was used to play games that would be recognizable even today. The ‘Major’ Arcana is a deck of twenty two cards numbered zero through twenty one that carry images such as ‘The Fool’, ‘The Magician’, ‘The Lovers’, etc. This deck was created later and added into the larger deck to be used as trump cards in games that require that.

Now you may ask, if this was a deck of cards used for playing games, when did it turn into a deck of cards used for divination? I will explain that, but be warned, there are a few references coming up to writings and people with very long and possibly funny names, but we’ll get through it quickly!
Divination using playing cards is documented as early as 1540 in a book entitled “The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli”. Manuscripts from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Cartomancer) document simple divinatory meanings for the cards, as well as a system for laying out the cards. Giacomo Casanova wrote in his diary in 1765 that his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination; but that tale has far more interest to it than what applies to just the cards!

About the Tarot Deck

2012-02-10T07:54:00.000-08:00

Now to the meat of the matter, the Tarot deck itself. Remember, you don’t have to memorize the whole thing, just let your subconscious mind embrace it. Your readings will come from there.

As previously mentioned, the Tarot deck consists of seventy eight cards. These seventy eight cards are divided into two distinct parts, or houses, that are referred to as the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The word “arcana” itself basically means “secrets”, so we have a collection of major and minor secrets. Sounds mystical, doesn’t it?

The Major Arcana of the Tarot contains twenty two cards. Each of these cards is numbered from zero to twenty one, and represents people or ideas like “The Magician”, “The High Priestess”, “The Moon”, “Judgment”, etc. These are sometimes referred to as the “trump” cards, and are considered to be the cards in the deck that speak of the most important issues.

It should be noted that from deck to deck, while concepts of the Major Arcana will remain relatively the same, the order of some of the cards may differ. The first card in the Major Arcana, card zero, is typically The Fool, but in some decks this card is placed at the end and numbered twenty two. Likewise, the position of the two cards Strength and Justice, typically card numbers eight and eleven respectively, are reversed in some decks. Be aware of these differences but do not pay too much attention to them as again, there is no right or wrong here.

The Minor Arcana consists of the other fifty six cards in the deck, and are the cards that most closely resemble the normal decks of playing cards that everyone is familiar with. The Minor Arcana cards are divided into four suits in the same manner as regular playing cards, although the names of the suits of the Tarot are not the same as those of playing cards. We will cover this in detail in the next section.

The cards within each suit are numbered one through ten (ace through ten), and then include the court cards as do playing card decks. The difference here being that the court of the Minor Arcana of the Tarot includes four cards for each suit rather than the three found in playing card decks. In a deck of playing cards you find a Jack, Queen and King; whereas in the court of a Tarot deck you find first a Knave (or Page), then a Knight (Jack), then the Queen and King. The Knave represents a younger version of the Knight, perhaps an apprentice. You will see how they fit in as you work through your own deck.

Handling Your Tarot Deck

2012-01-23T18:16:00.000-08:00

Now that you have a deck of Tarot cards, let us take a moment or two for a brief word about handling them. Remember that your Tarot deck is about energy, and more importantly, about positive energy. It should not be tossed about like a deck of regular playing cards, but should be treated with much more respect and care.

Many readers like to keep their cards not in the case they came in, but rather wrapped in a silk cloth or something similar. Thus wrapped, the cards and cloth can then be stored in either a nice velveteen bag or perhaps an ornate wooden box that is just the right size. You may have things like this around your house already. These may be gifts from family members, or family heirlooms, or if needed you can easily find such items at metaphysical stores or online shops. Storing your cards in this manner shows them respect, and goes a long way towards helping them hold on to any positive energy that you and your sitters put into them.

When you and you sitter are working with the cards, do not handle them like regular playing cards. This is why we use the term ‘mixing’ the cards, rather than ‘shuffling’ the cards. The cards should be gently mixed, not shuffled and cut as if we were preparing for a hand of poker. It is also traditional to lay a cloth upon the table and lay your card spread upon the cloth, rather than upon the bare table.
When you bring your cards out for your sitter, do so as if they are something special. When you are finished, put them away immediately so that they may rest.

Treat your cards with the care and respect they deserve and they will in turn serve you well and deliver positive energy for years to come. Have fun together!

Choosing a Tarot Deck . . .part 3

2012-01-04T13:01:00.000-08:00

I personally mostly use a deck based on what is sometimes called the “Medieval Tarot”. It was illustrated by Guido Zibordi and is published by Lo Scarabeo. The deck itself has what is referred to as an “Italian theme” that depicts scenes from a time gone by. I chose this deck to use for no other reason than the fact that the symbols in the deck speak to me. If you are interested, you can find such a deck fairly easily online or at most major book stores.

Whichever deck you end up using as time goes by is an individual choice that reflects your personality and how you relate to the Tarot. You can use more than one deck, and you can change decks as the mood strikes you. At some point you may have different decks for different types of readings. I have a very special antique deck that I use for answering very special and specific questions.

One important note here:

With so many different kinds of decks available, obviously the symbology on the various decks is going to be quite different from one to the other. That is why we discussed the fact that there is no ‘set’ meaning for individual cards. There are general guidelines, but the true meaning of the cards comes from how the symbology specific to the Tarot deck you use speaks to your imagination, and how your intuitive mind interprets that symbology and translates it into words that you can relate to your sitter. So spend some time shopping the decks available and find one that moves you, then make it yours!

Choosing a Tarot Deck . . . part 2

2011-12-24T09:22:00.001-08:00

If you begin to shop for a deck beyond the Rider-Waite deck, you will see decks of all sizes and descriptions. There are decks that are based on antiquity and carry very traditional artwork. You will find decks that are based on Goth culture. There are decks that celebrate Fairies and Elves. There are decks for religious affiliations and decks with erotic themes. There are decks that follow current trends such as teenage movie vampires or werewolves. There are decks that are nothing more than abstract artwork. You name it, and you can probably find it as a theme for a Tarot deck somewhere.

Then how do we decide? Well, how does a guitar player decide on which guitar to buy? If you walk into a music store you will see maybe a hundred guitars hanging on the wall. For the most part they all share common themes. They all have six strings. They all have the same number of frets and a bridge, and they all tune to pretty much the same number of octaves. So other than obvious cosmetic differences, how do we decide which one is for us?

Obviously, we choose the one that speaks to US as an individual. When it comes to a guitar, this probably means picking it up and playing it to see if it feels right and if we like the sound.

With a set of Tarot cards it means looking at the symbology on the cards. Remember, we will be spending a lot of time with these cards, and the images on the cards must be something that inspires our thoughts and words. Ask yourself these types of questions:

Are you comfortable with what the deck depicts?

Do the pictures speak to you at all?

Do the images make you think?

Do they inspire your imagination?

Look over a number of decks until you find the symbology that draws you to it. You might like traditional pictures, or you might be drawn to abstract artwork. Either is fine, so long as the deck speaks to your heart and sparks your intuition when you look at it.

Choosing a Tarot Deck

2011-12-10T19:40:00.000-08:00

There are almost as many different types of Tarot decks as there are Tarot readers in the world. We already stated that the Tarot is basically a collection of symbols, and over the centuries people have produced thousands of different interpretations for these symbols. Some are based on ‘traditional’ decks that came before, and some are totally original or even bizarre.

If you take a look at online catalogs, or you go down to your local bookstore or metaphysical shop, you will likely find a very large selection of Tarot decks readily available. The Rider-Waite deck is probably the most easily recognized in the world, and is the deck that most people think of when they think of the Tarot. If you don’t wish to spend a lot of time to look at all the options and pick a personal Tarot deck at this time, then you can probably just pick up a set of Rider-Waite Tarot cards and you will be ready to begin. You can always go shopping later for other cards.

There are other benefits to starting with the Rider-Waite deck. First, since it is the deck that most people are familiar with, most people would expect a Tarot reader to be familiar with this deck as well. So it is to your benefit to understand the symbology contained in this deck whether or not you end up using it as you progress for your own personal deck.

Second, as you continue to study beyond here, you will find that a majority of Tarot books refer to the Rider-Waite deck. It is not that this deck is any better or worse than any other deck, as that is a subjective point of view for each to decide. The fact is when discussing the cards we all need to have a common reference point and this deck has become that reference. Because most books do refer to Rider-Waite, your continuing studies will be easier if you’re familiar with this deck.

Lastly, the symbology in this deck is good. It is typically inspiring to the new reader as well as the accomplished person, and includes all of the elements you need to learn. Some other decks tend to be vague or sparse on symbology, and therefore a bit more difficult for the beginning reader. Then again, I am not telling you that you have to start with this deck, only that you should become familiar with it at some point. There is a world of possibilities out there to choose from.

About Reading the Tarot . . . Final

2011-12-04T10:16:00.000-08:00

After you work through the entire spread with your sitter, end the reading on an upbeat note. Recap all of the things you spoke about, and close the reading. Always review what was discussed, and always send your sitter away on a positive note with hope for the future. Although the Tarot may show us dark things from time to time, our purpose is to try to figure out what the cards are telling us about how to stay on a positive course to bring things into the light and achieve a brighter future.

Put your cards away as discussed in the section on “Handling Your Tarot Deck”, and thank the sitter for giving you the opportunity to spend some time together.

Hopefully this will have been a meaningful experience for both of you.

From time to time you will run across a sitter for which a good connection cannot be made. This will be very rare, but don’t worry when it happens. Politely thank them for trying and maybe recommend a fellow reader that might be more suitable for them.

So that was a lot to cover. I recommend that after you have finished this book and feel comfortable with the cards and the spreads that you come back and reread this section. Also, never forget that you should not be afraid of being ‘wrong’. It can’t happen if you speak from the heart.

About Reading the Tarot . . .part 6

2011-11-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

Now back to our reading.

You are comfortable at the table. You have taken a few minutes to get yourself and the sitter into the proper frame of mind. Maybe you have lighted a candle on the table to ask the spirit of the cards for guidance. You have assured the sitter that you are there to look at the positive side of things, and given them a brief overview of the Tarot and the particular deck you will be using. The sitter has mixed the cards and chosen the proper number of cards to be used in the reading.

What next?

Lay out the cards in whichever spread you have chosen to use for the reading. If you are using a spread that involves cards for the past, present, and future, you may choose to only have the past cards turned upwards for the moment, and then turn the other cards over as you come to them.

Take a quiet moment and look over all of the cards to begin to get a general feeling for the theme they are trying to present. Does it involve money? Relationships? If the sitter has given you an indication of what they would like to discuss, try to see how it relates to that subject. If not, try to get an impression of what the cards would like to talk about. Once you have an overall feeling for the theme of the reading, you will begin to determine what each card is saying individually. In most spreads, the position of each card will tell you what area of the reading that card is addressing. Try to imagine how the card fills that particular spot in the reading. Take your time. Think about what you are going to say. Try to let what you say come from your intuition and imagination and not your analytical mind. Make sure it is in a positive light. Then, begin to work through the cards and describe what you see. This part will need to come from your heart, I cannot tell you what to say. Just remember, as long as you are speaking of what the cards say to you and how you feel about them, you cannot be wrong. Always stay positive!

About Reading the Tarot . . . part 5

2011-11-20T10:00:00.001-08:00

There is a misconception that we are fortune telling. This is not true. What we are doing is looking at the symbology in the cards and attempting to interpret how the story presented relates to the sitters current situation, and how it shows recommendations for actions that will lead to one possible future. The sitter can always get up from the table and change that future. So if we always approach the reading from the point of view that we are relating to the sitter what we FEEL about what the cards are saying, we cannot be wrong. It is truly what we feel. If the sitter sees how it relates to them immediately, fine. If they do not, it does not change how we feel about what we see, and may relate to something that has not happened yet, or is just so vague that the sitter cannot find a connection at that time. But it is still our true feeling and therefore correct within the context of the reading. This is because the words you speak are coming from your own intuition and imagination. The sitter can take from it what they like.

Also, never be afraid to ask the sitter for input or clarification.

“Does this make sense to you?”

“Do you know this person that the cards speak of?”

Remember, we are Tarot readers, and we are reading the cards. It is not expected that we understand how what the cards are describing fits into our sitters experience; there’s no way we could. That is for them to work out in their own minds. This is why we take the time to encourage participation at the beginning of the reading. Leave the need to achieve miraculous ‘hits’ on correct information to the magicians. It has no place in true divination.

About Reading the Tarot . . . part 4

2011-11-16T09:10:00.001-08:00

I find it useful during the time that the sitter is mixing the cards to take a minute to do several things.

First, let them know that even though the Tarot can show both dark and light, we will always concentrate on the positive side of things. This is important as many of your sitters will have some anxiety over what you may be about to reveal to them.

Next, it is nice to give them some background about the Tarot itself and the specific deck you are using. This is knowledge you will gain from studying a bit of the history of the Tarot and the history of the particular deck you use. I have included previously a very brief overview of the Tarot, but I encourage you to do more research as you progress so that you can speak intelligently to this point.
Finally, it is good to encourage participation and let the sitter know that they should provide input to you as you work through the spread. Of course if they choose to sit silently during the reading you can still go through the spread and describe what the cards say, but the whole thing will be much more meaningful if they actively participate and let you know if what you are saying relates in some way to their own experience, or if it makes no sense at all.

A quick word about being right or wrong:

Before you begin reading the cards for other people, you must set aside your natural fears of failure. Remember, we are describing to the sitter what we see in the cards, and more importantly, how we FEEL about what the cards are trying to tell us. There is no way to be wrong here. We are not telling them what lottery numbers will hit tomorrow, nor are we predicting the future. We are interpreting positive energy!

About reading the Tarot . . . Part 3

2011-11-14T16:08:00.000-08:00

At the most basic level, a reading involves several simple steps. You and your sitter (the person you are reading for) will sit down at a table and get comfortable. You may spend a minute to get into the proper frame of mind. I like to have myself and the sitter take turns holding a piece of Hematite, which is a small polished stone, to remove negative energies from our minds.

You will mix the Tarot cards, and then hand them to your sitter to mix. The idea here is that by mixing the cards themselves, the sitter will place some of their personal energy into the deck, and that their subconscious mind will direct the order of the cards in some way. Following this you may have a ceremony that you will develop as to how the sitter will choose the cards for their reading. This may involve having them cut the deck three times using their left (or non-writing) hand, and then having them fan the cards out and carefully choosing whatever number of cards is required for the reading you will do.

As before, there is no right or wrong way to do this. The process that you will develop for the introduction, mixing, and selection of the cards is totally of your own making and should simply have some meaning to you as the reader, and serve the purpose of personally connecting your sitter to the process.

About Reading the Tarot . . . part 2

2011-11-14T07:54:00.001-08:00

So what's going on? The truth of the matter is that since the Tarot is a collection of symbols, the reading you will give to someone will flow from YOUR interpretation of what those symbols mean and how they fit together. This is the basis of true divination. Now, that's not to say that you don't have to work with the cards and get a general understanding of what the symbols on the cards are saying, but that's just what it is, a general understanding. There are commonly accepted guidelines relating to the meanings of the cards, and these are taken from the symbology itself, but there is definitely no paragraph of information that you must memorize that is the definitive meaning for any card.

Once you understand the overall idea behind a card, your own interpretation of that card will evolve over time. Likewise, your own intuition, personality, and life experiences will begin to shape your interpretation of the card combinations as you begin to understand your own Tarot deck. There is no right or wrong interpretation as long as it comes from within you and truthfully relates to how you perceive the cards. Whether you wish to call it intuition or imagination, and there is a very fine line between the two, this is where your readings will come from. So relax a little bit and start thinking about the Tarot as a book that you will both read and write yourself as you and your deck begin to spend time together.

After you have gone through the portions of this text that describe the general meanings behind the cards, and you have spent some time getting familiar with the symbology of your deck, you will be ready to start working on giving readings. You will be a Tarot reader!

About Reading the Tarot - part 1

2011-11-12T20:47:00.000-08:00

So how do we ‘read’ the Tarot? As previously mentioned, the Tarot deck at its core is a collection of pictures, or symbols. These symbols represent emotions, feelings, people, situations, and much, much more. For the most part, any emotion, feeling, or typical situation that a person could feel or experience during their lifetime is contained somewhere within the cards or represented by a combination of cards. Since there are seventy eight cards in the Tarot deck, there are literally a limitless number of possible combinations of cards in the various card spreads we will use when doing a reading for someone.

You will find out soon enough if you begin studying the Tarot in earnest that it is easy to become confused by seemingly conflicting information contained in different books on the subject. It is the natural tendency of the beginning reader to think that they first and foremost must memorize the exact meanings of all the seventy eight cards in the deck. This is not only incorrect, but is where the confusion starts. If you look through two or three different books on the Tarot (including this one), you will likely find two or three different meanings listed for a good number of the cards.

The fact of the matter is this, and please read this sentence twice –
There are no ‘set’ meanings for the cards.

Say that aloud to yourself now so that you will internalize it. You will have a much more enjoyable experience if you understand this premise right from the start. Don’t worry if that sounds counter to everything you have assumed about learning the Tarot. Just know that you are not facing the daunting task of committing a very large chunk of numbered information to memory. As I stated before, the reality of the process is much simpler than that.

Tarot History . . . part 2 (from "You Can Learn the Tarot!" by Dennis)

2011-11-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Divination using playing cards is in evidence as early as 1540 in a book entitled “The Oracles of Francesco Marceline da Forli” which outlines a simple method of divination, though the cards are used only to select a random oracle and have no meaning in themselves. Manuscripts from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Cartomancer) document rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the Tarot as well as a system for laying out the cards. Giacomo Casanova wrote in his diary that in 1765 his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination, so we can indeed trace the use of the Tarot for divination back at least several hundred years.

It was also in the 1700s that Tarot cards became strongly connected to fortune telling and the occult, as they are today. The writings of Antoine Court de Gebelin in 1781 were hugely influential on the development of the images that appear on the more modern Tarot deck. An amateur scholar, Gebelin suggested at the time that the pictures on the Tarot deck were related to occult Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Tarot divination really gained in popularity during the 19th century, spurred on by a growing public interest in spiritualism and all matters pertaining to the occult. Ouija boards are another good example of this trend as they also became increasingly popular during this time period.

Tarot History . . . part 1 (from "You Can Learn the Tarot!" by Dennis)

2011-11-09T20:30:00.000-08:00

Tarot's origins are perhaps as misunderstood as the mystical symbols on the cards themselves. Thoughts of the cards invoke images of Gypsies in traveling wagons or Monks in secret rooms attempting to divine or influence the future.

The word “Tarot” itself has no historical meaning that can be determined with any certainty. The earliest use of the word seems to be French, as the name for a deck of seventy eight cards that were used for both games and divination. The word may have come from the Italian “Tarocco”, which was likewise used to describe such a deck of cards as early as the fifteenth century, but which of these terms came first is still up for scholarly debate.

The earliest deck of actual Tarot cards is believed to have been a hand-painted set created around 1440 for the Duke of Milan. They were used for a game similar to bridge and as inspiration to create amusing poetry. The promotional images and text on some of the early divination decks claim ancient origins or gypsy ancestry, but most serious sources say the roots of these symbolic cards can simply be traced to traditional playing cards.

My Services

2011-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

By way of further introduction, a word about my services . . .

I do private Tarot readings for my clients either in their own home or at my location. I am based out of Mead, Colorado, just a few minutes from Longmont, and serve the area from Denver to Boulder to Ft. Collins. I also do Tarot parties, and am available for events such as birthdays, holiday parties, and the like.

Additionally, I do Graphology (hand writing analysis) for corporate events and large gatherings. Everyone gets a brief personality profile based on their handwriting and/or signature. This is always very popular!

I am a member of the Boulder Healing Arts Association, and attend most psychic fairs in the Denver / Boulder / Ft. Collins area.

If you would like more information about my services, please visit www.privatetarot.com, or feel free to contact me at DennisPerez@privatetarot.com.

Enjoy the day!

Day 1

2011-11-07T14:48:00.000-08:00

Heading into the new season, it is time to start this blog.

For those who are not familiar, my name is Dennis Perez. I am a Tarot Consultant and Graphology Expert (hand writing analysis) based in Colorado and serving the Denver, Boulder, Ft. Collins areas.

My website is www.privatetarot.com.

My email address is DennisPerez@privatetarot.com.

I am also the author of "You Can Learn the Tarot!"