This week im going to show and talk about the three first High Def Tarot Images i drew, including the story behind the Tarot card meaning, the Thoth Tarot card version and my recreation of it! So here they are:

The Magus I

Universal Meaning: The Fool learns to focus his creative energy and to use tools and instruments to manifest his desires. Astrologers associate the logic, conscious awareness, objectivity, adaptability, and industry of the Magician with the planet Mercury.

Thoth Tarot Breakdown: The Magus is the first of the alchemical trumps, and represents the alchemical element and principal of Mercury.The figure of the Magus actually forms the alchemical glyph of Mercury. The two snakes at his head are the horns and the huge stylized wings at his feet make the arrowhead. He is projected upon the caduceus of Mercury. Behind the right wing is the Cynolcephalus, the Ape of Thoth. This creature is the personification of an ironic curse that afflicts Thoth-Mercury and all who attain the grade of Magus. Because falsehood and misunderstanding are inherent in all speech and writing, the Ape of Thoth is constantly mocking the work of the Magus and distorts his words. The traditional weapons of the Magus are the wand, the cup, the sword and the disk. ”With the Wand, createth He. With the Cup preserveth He. With the Dagger destroyth He. With the Coin redeemeth He.” (Crowley) There are four aditional symbols which are the style, the papyrus, the torch and the winged egg.

Symbolism of the items:

Phoenix Wand – resurrection trhough the natural generative process

Cup – Grecian style with two handles

Sword – Stiletto the weapon of stealth, deceit and vengeance,

Disk – Displays the eightfold star of Mercury

Style and Papyrus – tools and instruments of the scribe

Winged Egg – Especially important factor in the evolving symbolism. Represents the preexistent zero, like the Magus himself

The top one would be the sketch and the bottom one would be the finished piece.

Character used and Backstory: For the Magus i decided to use the demi-god Asclepius. Son of the god Apollon and mortal Koronis from Thessaly. His father gave him the gift of healing and secrets of medicine using plants and herbs. There were rumours  that Asclepius’ healing powers were so formidable that he could even raise the dead for which he used the blood of Medusa given to him by Athens. Another myth about Asclepius was that he performed a miracle one day in the church he was working at. Sessions took place in that church were people with disabilities and illnesses went to pray to Asclepius to heal them. In one session a blind guy visited the church and was praying to Asclepius when a snake that was said to be Asclepius’ companion, slithered up to the man and spit its poison on his face, enabling him to see again

Reason that this character was used: As we saw the Magus has to do with the tools and instruments of magic. The reason i picked Asclepius is because it was said that his healing powers were really strong to the point of the metaphysical. Another reason was that behind the magus is the Caduceus of Mercury, a symbol of medicine. Another hint were the two snakes that reminded me of the snake companion that Asclepius had.

Changes i made to be closer to the character i used: Other than changing the style of the wand, disk and sword i decided to use the skull of a deer and placed two snakes hanging from it to show that Asclepius used many natural material for his medicinal skills such as the blood and hide of animals. I changed the model of Magus to look like Asclepius, drawing his beard and hair and dressed him in Ancient Greek attire. I also blindfolded him as a reminder to the myth of the blind guy that was healed from Asclepius’ snake companion. Last but not least i changed the cup into an ancient greek stylized cup to go with the whole theme.

 

 

The High Priestess II

Universal Meaning: The Fool comes in contact with the hidden, spiritual, unconscious and intuitive aspects of the universe. Like the sun and the Moon, the Magus and the Priestess complement each other. Astrologers associate the High Priestess with the Moon, ruler of the Night.

Thoth Tarot Breakdown: ”In this card is the one link between the archetypal and formative worlds.” (Crowley) The Abyss she traverses is the desert of the soul, and like the desert camel, she is the only vehicle capable of crossing that terrible wasteland. The principal deities connected with this card are those who represent the lunar goddess, virgin princess, huntress and the powers and mysteries of woman as the initiatrix. Her bow is actually a three-stringed harp ”for she is a huntress and hunts by enchantment”. The arms of the Priestess sweep upward, pulling and distorting the webbed network of space and light, forming the crescent bowl of a magnificent Moon-colored cup. She is the initiatrix, meaning the ”beginning”. The crystals and the seeds on her feet are suggestive of the hidden and mysterious secrets of the beginning of life.

The top one would be the sketch and the bottom one would be the finished piece.

Character used and Backstory: For the High Priestess i decided to use the goddess of the Hunt, Artemis. She was the Hellenic goddess of the hunt, wild, animals, wilderness, childbirth, virginity and protector of young girls, bringing and relieving disease in women. She is often depicted as a huntress carrying a bow and arrows. The deer is sacred to her. She is the protector of the forest and everything in it, fauna and flora.

Reason that this character was used: Starting off, as we saw Artemis’ description, she is the goddess of virginity and protector of young girls. The High priestess was also depicted as the ”virgin princess” and that was one reason i wanted to choose her. Another reason was the meaning behind the bow of the High Priestess. She uses the bow as a weapon and enchantment and so does Artemis as her main tool in life is the bow. We also learned that Artemis is the protector of animals and wilderness, thus taking her closer to the theme of flowers and gemstones at the feet of the High Priestess that are natural resources and protects them. The camel in the lower middle of the Tarot card reminded me of Artemis’ sacred deer that she protects and loves.

Changes i made to be closer to the character i used: I replaced the High Priestess with Artemis’ model. Recreated the bow on her lap to look more like the one Artemis carries around. I also gave Artemis a huntress of the woods themed attire to go with the whole concept. I had another initial design for the crown upon Artemis’ head but i changed the design to go better with the huntress theme as the last one i drew looked a bit more oriental. I created my own gems and flowers and placed them on either side to depict balance of the things that Artemis cares about. And last but not least i replaced the camel with Artemis’ sacred animal which is the deer!

 

 

Adjustement VIII

Universal Meaning: Despite the randomness of the universe, there is a certain justice or fairness in its structure that reflects a need for balance and harmony in our lives. Society sets up a system of justice to try to ensure fair treatment of its members. Astrologers associate the Justice card with Libra, the Scales, the sign of balance and Harmony.

Thoth Tarot Breakdown: The general criticism is that the card is a little too cold. In this card is the idea of balance static. The goddess of Adjustment is in perfect balance, left to right, top to bottom. She stands on tiptoe at the very point of her sword. An enormous set of balances suspends from the perfect point of her crown. The left scale pan holds the alpha and the right the omega. Crowley calls adjustment” the feminine complement of the Fool”

The top one would be the sketch and the bottom one would be the finished piece.

Character used and Backstory: For the Adjustment (or Justice) card i decided to use Athena, the goddess of wisdom, craft and war. Athena was regarded as the patron and protectress of various cities across Greece, particularly the city of Athens. Athena was believed to have been born from the head of her father Zeus. Since the Renaissance, Athena has become an international symbol of wisdom and the arts. Western artists and allegorists have often used Athena as a symbol of freedom, democracy and balance.

Reason that this character was used: Starting off the first thing that came to mind to use Athena was the sword that Adjustment held. The sword is Athena’s weapon of choice together with the shield. Another reason why i chose her was the fact that the Adjustment card talks about balance and fairness, Athena as we saw was the goddess of wisdom craft and was also set with the task of keeping the balance in the towns of Attiki together with being the protector of democracy and fairness. Athena was the first thing that came in mind when i saw the Adjustment card as it depicts her perfectly with the sword and the scale.

Changes i made to be closer to the character i used: I kept the color pallet as i did with all the other cards because i wanted to keep the aesthetic of it but i did change the clothing. I gave her an ancient Greek themed armor set that went pretty well with the whole balance theme. I changed a bit the design of the sword and drew an owl on the hilt as it was Athena’s animal spirit as she was called the goddess of wisdom. I gave her also a Spartan Helmet to go with her armor and i designed it in a way that it would be the base of the two scales. On each side of the scales i created an ancient Greek alphabet design of the letters alpha and omega. A detail that i really loved changing where the spheres on the background. Instead of the green and blue spheres that Adjustment has i changed them into a brain. The top part of the brain is on the bottom and the bottom part is on the top. Why? Because the right and left hemisphere of the brain are in perfect balance even tho they take care of different mechanics of the body. Also its a small hint of the myth that Athena was born from Zeus brain and jumped out from his forehead. That way the whole picture is in balance and has all the details that talk about Athena. Also what i did was to sketch the whole drawing but then only lineart the left part of it. After selecting it i duplicated it to create the right side. That way the whole drawing would be in perfect balance!

 

 

And this concludes my three drawing descriptions and detailed analysis!

 

Next week ill create the back of the card and the boarders as both of them hide a meaning behind them and play a really important role in the Tarot decks.

 

Bilbiography:

DuQuette, L. (2017). Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot. Newburyport: Red Wheel Weiser, pp.99-103, 117-119.

Louis, A. (2010). Tarot plain and simple. St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.: Llewellyn Publications, pp.46, 48.

 

 

 

 

 

This week im gonna talk about how the project idea has developed and what changes were made to sculpt a better theme for it.

Starting off the idea that i had at the start of the project was that i was going to recreate the 22 Major Arcana cards from the Thoth tarot deck with my characters implemented on the design. Not only would that consist of creating 22 new characters but i also decided to find and use events and cultural facts about the world and put some characteristics from the on the cards. As i mentioned before the 22 Major Arcana cards talk about the journey of the Fool towards enlightenment. What i had in mind is finding events that happened in history, from the old times till now and implement small characteristics in the cards from them showing off the evolution of the world till now. I was really exited with this idea. Just the thought of it was really nice. Though…. there was a major difficulty. The events that happened which helped in the evolution of our history are a great deal and they are too generic. I searched around and tried to find different theme groups to choose one from so i could create 22 cards. From the creations of technology till wars, there were a lot of events but they were never enough of ONE KIND to use them for the cards….. I tried searching for country and region specific cultural facts and events but they again werent enough…. As i read through my book about Tarot and learned more and more about Tarot cards and their spiritual meaning, the idea of using events in them was slowly drifting away. It didnt excite me as much as it used to…. It didnt fit at all with the theme of Tarot cards. It was something out of place….. Tarot cards are connected with the Paranormal and the Spiritual side of things. That is what makes those cards unique. Trying to implement real life problems, cultures and facts about the world would take that uniqueness off Tarot cards and just make them…. normal cards. It just didnt stick right. The idea did sound really exciting at the start as i didnt have knowledge about Tarot Decks and Cards, but now that i understand the really deep meaning behind them i started hating the previous idea. I dont want to take something like spirituality off of the cards….. The meaning behind the cards is really interesting…. And destroying them by using events from around the world, something physical, didnt really stick. I spent some time trying to think what could go well with Tarot cards and it hit me. ”The artful expression of your life, your living canvas” (Mueller and Echols) This phrase, had my idea hidden in it! The Tarot cards allow you to tap into your own imaginative powers! You should feel free to design your own spreads as the need arises! The most important fact about Tarot cards is that they dont have a specific meaning behind each card!!! They might have a base of what each card means, but the reader himself is the one, who with his creative and imaginative mind together with his intuition, is in charge of the deepest meaning of each card. Thats why the Tarot cards connect with the spirituality! Because they touch the paranormal, they touch each persons mind and soul differently. But….. how could that help with my project? I tried thinking of different things connected to me. What do i really love? Legends…..fantasy……Myths….. MYTHOLOGY thats it! That is just one thing that i really love! Mythology, myths and stories about gods, demi-gods and fantasy creatures! Just on its own it wouldnt go far tho…. There are thousands of different cultural myths and legends and even gods. Then what would make my cards UNIQUE and to have my kind of spirituality? Instead of using a variety of legends and gods from around the world and from different cultures i decided to use the Greek gods, demi-gods and other greek myths! Greece is my home country and its something i love. That way using the greek mythology i would implement a part of my soul and spirit in the cards! It was just the perfect idea for it! Even tho the cards have a spiritual meaning and im using a spiritual design it sticks perfectly! Its the perfect combination even if its the same thing. That way i wont take away the most important part of the Tarot cards and the most important trait that makes those cards unique and different from all the other cards and decks… their SPIRITUALITY! That is how i decided to change the theme and by choosing this one as my new goal has filled me with excitement because not only will i recreate a Tarot Deck, but ill also implement traits from my country’s mythology in it! Making it be more close to myself, something more personal and that gives me great joy to create and not something that i felt that was just another chore…… It will be made with love and happiness!

 

And thats this weeks work on my double project! Next week ill start recreating the 3 first cards of my deck based on my new idea and im really excited about it!

 

This week for my double project ill be doing some more research on the different tarot card spreads and the meaning of each position of the card in the spread.

After reading some really usefull information i learned that there are a lot of different kind of spreads for the tarot cards and different kind of readings too.

The simplest way for beginners to start using the Tarot on a daily basis is the One Card Spread. This way the readers will get to know their cards. In a reflective state of mind, they shuffle the cards and when it feels right they either cut the deck and taking the top card or they draw a card at random from the pack. Before looking up the meaning of the card the best thing to do is to write down some thoughts and notes about the card:

1. What the reader sees when they look at the card?
2. What thoughts and feelings does it stir up in them?
3. How would they describe the card to another person?
4. What action is taking place?
5. Who are the characters on the card?
6. What situation are they grappling with?
7. What might they be feeling?
8. Does the card remind them of any event, feeling, or person in their own life?

 

 

Then we have the Three Card Spread! As the name implies, this layout consists of three cards spread side by side. The far left card refers  to the Past, the middle card refers to the Present and the right card refers to the Future.

1. First Card (Past) : significant aspect of the events or feelings leading up to the present situation
2. Second Card (Present) : clarification of the present state
3. Third Card(Future) : The future possibilities of the matter under investigation

 

 

We also have a similar spread as the three card spread but with five cards. As the name implies you spread five cards in order. The first card is the Past, the second card the Present, the third one is the Hidden Influences, the fourth one is Advice and the last one is the Likely Outcome.

1. First card (Past) : Influences leading up to the present situation
2. Second card ( Present) : Current thoughts, feelings, and actions in the matter
3. Third card (Hidden Influences) : points to aspects of the question you may have overlooked or which are operating out of your awareness
4. Fourth card (Advice) : offers a practical suggestion about how to preceed
5. Fifth card (Likely Outcome) : the probable outcome of following the advice of the spread

Take note that the outcome card should not be interpreted as a deterministic or fated turn of events. In Tarot readings, an outcome is simply a likely course of events suggested by the forces in effect at the time of the spread. The querent is free to make his or her own choices that may alter the future course of events. Even if the future outcome is positive, the querent will still need to lay the requisite groundwork to bring it about. If the outcome is negative the reader should help the querent analyse why a negative outcome is likely from the other cards in the spread.

 

 

After these simple spreads i started reading and learning about three more complicated spreads.

First of them being the Horoscope Spread. Its the favorite spread among astrologers. It is a great spread for a general reading and what you have to do is to spread the cards in a circle, placing one card in each of the twelve houses, Some readers, if not all of them place a thirteenth card in the center of the wheel as an overall indicator or summation of the entire spread. Each card symbolises matters specific to the house in which it lies. Here is a list that describes the matters each house signifies:

• First House
  • Physical body, self, sense of identity, personal needs, appearance, health, vitality, the start of an enterprise, mothers father, fathers mother
• Second House
  • Money, income, finances, wealth, values, possessions, movable goods, resources
• Third House
  • Siblings, neighbours, close kin, local travel, short trips, conscious mind, writting, early education, communications, letters, phone calls, examinations, local environment
• Fourth House
  • Father, elders, home, family, real estate, land, roots, foundations, internal needs, emotional security, the grave
• Fifth House
  • Children, speculation, risks, hobbies, gambling, games, self-expression, romance, affections, pleasures, creative endeavors, fun, vacations, love affairs
• Sixth House
  • Illness, work, duty, daily routine, pets, perfection, tedium, drudgery, service, employees, fathers siblings
• Seventh House
  • Spouse, mate, partners, marriage, committed relationships, contracts, law suits, open enemies, opponents, personal consultants, those on an equal footing with us, fathers father, mothers mother
• Eighth House
  • Sex, Death, taxes, other peoples money, loans, legacies, goods of the dead, others resources, insurance, partners money, research, personal transformation, deep understanding, occult interests.
• Ninth House
  • Long distance travel, the law, higher education, philosophy, religion, higher mind, foreign interests, broadcasting, publication, forecasting, spouses siblings
• Tenth House
  • Mother, career, profession, ambition, superiors, governors, success, public standing, reputation, status, society, discipline, structure, destiny
• Eleventh House
  • Friends, groups, clubs, social activities, societies, advice, detachment, hopes and wishes, humanitarian concerns
• Twelfth House
  • Solitude, confinement, hospitalisation, retreat, sacrifice, hidden matters, secret liaisons, psychological problems, undoing, secrets, meditation, the unconscious, the subconscious mind, mothers siblings

 

 

Next will be the Twelve Month Spread. Its layout is identical to that of the horoscope spread. The difference is that the card in the first position represents the influences in effect during the current month. The second card represents the influences during the next month and goes on like this. The last card signifies the general theme of the coming year as its the thirteenth card!

 

 

And the last but not least spread would be the Celtic Cross Spread. This spread is the favorite spread across Tarot Readers and one which someone ought to master if they want to become a Tarot Reader. The spread begins by consciously choosing a significator card to represent the querent or the question itself, This card can be any of the seventy eight cards in the deck. A card that comes from the Court cards it generally signifies a person. If the card is one of the Major Arcanas or Pip cards the it sometimes signifies a situation, Kings and Knights represent men with the King being the older and more mature of the two. Queens and Pages represent women, with the Queen being the older and more mature of the two.

If you choose to pick a card depending on the querents astrological sign then the list goes like this:

• Fire signs (Aries, Leo, Sagittarius)
  • Wands
• Earth Signs ( Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn)
  • Pentacles
• Air Signs ( Gemini, Libra, Aquarius)
  • Swords
• Water Signs ( Cancer, Scorpio, Pisces)
  • Cups

An alternative is to select a significator that physically describes the querent. The idea is that the significator should describe the person or matter under scrutiny and goes like this:

• Wands
  • Fair, freckled complexion
  • Yellow, auburn, reddish hair
  • Dark or Light Eyes
• Cups
  • Fair, medium complexion
  • Light brown, blonde, gray hair
  • Gray, blue, hazel eyes
• Swords
  • Dull, olive complexion
  • Brown, black hair
  • Light eyes
• Pentacles
  • Dark, sallow, swarthy, ethnic complexion
  • Black, very dark brown hair
  • Brown, dark eyes

 

After picking a significator card, lay it facing you(the reader) on the table and proceed to shuffle the rest of the cards. If there is a figure on the significator card, note which direction that figure is facing. This is important for laying the fourth card of the spread. Cut the deck into three piles and reassemble the piles in reverse order so that the last pile to be cut goes on top. This is how a Celtic Cross spread looks like:

Here are the positions of the cards in a more detailed explanation:

1. ”This covers you” – This card is placed on top of the significator card and it ofter reveals the substance of the question, the problem at hand, the present influences, the current state of the querent and the general atmosphere now surrounding the matter. This card shows where the querent is at with regard to the question
2. ”This crosses you for good or for ill” – This card is placed sideways across the first card. It shows the nature of obstacles and opposition or the lack of them, what forces may help or hinder the querent, and what problems or difficulties are in the way. It will show conflicts, hang-ups, challenges, difficulties and issues you need to confront but will also show opportunities and resources.
3. ”This is beneath you” – This card is placed below the other cards and it shows past influences affecting the matter, past experiences, repetitive behavior, motivations, where the question comes from, internal factors, and the roots or foundation of the current situation.
4. ”This is behind you” – This card is placed on the left of the significator card. (it is sometimes placed on the right if the significator card is of a person looking towards the left as this card needs to be on the opposite place where the person in the significator card is looking)  This card shows the recent past and influences that are just passing out of existence. It can refer to events, feelings, communications, situations, or even dreams during the past few weeks.
5. ”This crowns you” – This card is placed on above the other cards. It is a card of potentiality. It shows the querents ideals, goals, options, intentions, avenues of development, possibilities and opportunities. It reveals alternative future results, potential new directions and other the best possible outcome. Given the challenges and assets of card two, the crowning card helps us see how the querent might resolve the situation, where the question might lead and what options are open for growth and resolution.
6. ”This is before you” – This card is placed on the right side (if the significator card has a person that looks on the left then it will be placed on the left as it needs to be at the location that the person of the significator card is looking) The before or immediate future card reveals forthcoming circumstances and influences coming into being in the near future. These may be new people, fresh ideas, or future situations. This card shows what will happen within the next few weeks in the matter.
7. ”This is your Self” – This card will be placed on the right side of all the cards, creating the base of the pillar place. The Self card symbolizes where the querent stands on the issue. It reveals their state of mind, their self-view, their feelings, attitudes, secret wishes and how they see the current situation
8. ”This is your environment and those around you” – This card is placed above the Self card, which indicated the first floor of the pillar place. The environment card shows how those around the querent view the matter as well as their interactions with these people in their life. It represents the opinions of family, friends, coworkers and others involved in the matter. It reveals how outside influences and environmental factors, including the querents residence, might affect the outcome.
9. ” This is your hopes, fears and expectations” – This card is placed above the environmental card, indicating the second floor of the pillar place. This card can help clarify what the querent fears as well as what they expect or want from the current situation. Possitive cards show their hopes and wishes and negative cards show their fears and doubts.
10. ”This is what will come” – This last card is placed above the hopes/fears card and indicated the last floor of the pillar place. This summation or final outcome card symbolizes the most likely future result where the spread has been leading, the final resolution of the matter. It is the culmination of all the other cards in the spread and cannot be read in isolation. This card should be compared with both the crown card(5th) and the immediate future card(6th) A Court card in position 10 often indicates that the outcome depends on another person who will bring the matter to its conclusion. If a Court card appears in the final outcome (10th position) you can draw a clarification card to see what the person signified by the Court card in position ten will do.

This was a detailed explanation of the positions of the cards in the Celtic Cross Spread.

 

 

After learning about the spreads i came across a useful piece of information. If a card that is dealt and placed on a spread is in a reversed position, meaning its upside down, then the cards meaning has multiple connotations and is sometimes difficult to interpret. Some authors suggest using only upright cards and to turn the cards over if they appear reversed in the spread. Some believe that reversed cards may carry a negative association. A predominance of reversed cards in a reading can sometimes suggest problems, obstacles, delays, hindrances, difficult decisions, the need for mental effort, anxieties, worries, illnesses, stress, bad news and broker relationships. But that is true only if the actual content of the cards is consistent with this interpretation. Each card, whether upright or reversed must be interpreted in the context of the entire spread. Reversed cards are not necessarily negative. Sometimes a reversed card simply means that the upright meaning is difficult to grasp or express. If the upright card carries a positive connotation, the same card reversed may indicate that the usually positive qualities are being taken to excess. If the upright card carries a negative connotation, the reversed position may mean the ending of a difficult situation. There is also a listing of some possible meaning of reversed and upright card positions and it goes like this:

Upright Meaning – Reversed Meaning

Acceptance – Rejection or Resistance

Acute – Chronic

Conscious – Unconscious

Correct use – Abuse

Direct – Retrograde

Easy to express – Hard to express

Easy to understand – Hard to understand

External – Internal

Faith – Lack of Faith

Fast – Slow

In process – Over or done with

Logical – Intuitive

Moderation – Excess

Mundane – Spiritual

Normal expression – Going overboard,excess

Objective – Subjective

Obvious – Subtle

One way – The opposite way

Outside – Inside

Overt – Covert, Hidden

Positive – Negative

Presence of – Absence of, Need for

Proceeding Smoothly – Problematic, Stressful

Public – Private

Quick – Delayed

Real – Imagined

Trustworthy – Unreliable

Uninhibited – Restricted

Wanting to – Holding Back

Yang – Yin

 

 

 

And this concludes this weeks research! Next week ill start doing some experiments and go over my main idea again looking some changed i made along the way after my research!

 

Bibliography:

Louis, A. (2010). Tarot plain and simple. St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.: Llewellyn Publications, pp.18-32.

I dedicated this week into researching more about the Tarot Deck and about the 22 Major Arcana cards or Trumps that i was going to use. There are a lot of new different things that i learned and of course caught me by Surprise about the tarot deck.

First of all, each card position plays a really important part to the meaning that the card holds. Each cards meaning on the spread depends on its position in it, the surrounding cards, the nature of the question, and of course the readers intuitive awareness. The tarot cards allow people to tap into their own imaginative powers. Due to Tarot decks having to do mostly with the readers creative and imaginative powers they have the free will choosing a deck that appeals to them for its images, colors, textures and whatever strikes their fancy. That is why i chose the Thoth Tarot Deck as i really liked its futuristic style and warm colors. Once someone chooses their deck they need to get to know the cards. They need to look at them, describe them out loud, meditate on them, note their reactions. Which cards did they like the most and which ones did they dislike? What mood does each card bring up. Which aspects of the card jumps out and grab the attention? There are a lot of things to take into consideration that have to do with the true meaning of the cards. One of them being the colors that each card uses. There are symbolic meanings to the colors that each card holds and here is a list that provides common symbolic meaning of various colours:

• Black – The color of night
  • Death, endings, darkness, mystery, the occult, destruction, resurrection, negativity, sin, materialism, ignorance
• Blue – The color of the sky and the oceans
  • Spirit, idealism, contemplation, reflection, emotion, the unconscious, devotion, feelings, intuition
• Gold – The color of the sun and the metal gold
  • Attainment, illumination, success, glory, radiance, the divine
• Gray – The color of storm clouds
  • Mourning, grief, sadness, penitence, depression, wisdom born of experience, reconciliation
• Green – The color of vegetation
  • New life, hope, serenity, fertility, growth, safety, security, abundance, health,  youth, vitality
• Orange – The color of fire and the lion
  • Pride, Ego, splendor, ambition, authority, decisiveness, vitality, force
• Purple – The traditional color of royalty
  • Power, pomp, pride, justice, esoteric understanding
• Red – The color of blood and the planet Mars
  • Mars, Life, Force, Desire, action, vitality, strength, energy, courage, aggression, sex, death, wounds, passion
• Silver – The color of the Moon
  • Mystery, reflection, hidden knowledge, the goddess within, feminine intuition, emotions, inner life, psychic ability
• White – The universal color
  • Purity, illumination, daylight, joy, happiness, life, truth, openness, enlightenment
• Yellow – The color of the sun and of urine
  • Illumination, intelect, caution, the will, masculine Power

After thorough look at all the different meaning of the colors for the cards and how each combination of colors worked i looked a bit at the aspect of how to spread out the cards and the preparations it takes before spreading them. I learned that the Tarot practitioner should create a quiet, almost sacred, atmosphere in which to lay out a spread. A common method that many people use is to pray for divine guidance before conduction a reading or use objects like candles, silk cloths and incense to help them establish a contemplative atmosphere. Before the reading begins the reader and the querent still their minds to allow the shuffling of the cards to occur in a calm, reflective, meditative state. At some point of the meditative shuffling, the reader will feel right to stop mixing the cards and ask the querent to cut the deck. Sometimes when the shuffling is happening a single card or a small group of cards seem to jump out of the deck and turn themselves upright. These cards are always significant and the reader should study them carefully before proceeding with the original reading.

 

This concludes this weeks research! Next week ill be researching tarot spreads and the positioning of the cards!

 

Bibliography:

Louis, A. (2010). Tarot plain and simple. St. Paul, Minn., U.S.A.: Llewellyn Publications, pp.13-18.