Beyond the symbols: Pairing 5 tarot cards with the books that embody their essence

Stack of books. Text reads: Beyond the symbols: Pairing 5 tarot cards with the books that embody their essence

Tarot archetypes and stories share a connection — both are mirrors that help us make meaning of the strange, beautiful, painful experience of being human.

Recently, I found myself wondering: If I could hand each tarot card a book, what would it be?

Not books that simply match the surface symbolism of the cards, but books that feel like them…that embody the emotional and archetypal essence of each card.

It’s an exercise in understanding the cards more deeply. And while most stories embody multiple themes, I distilled them down to their core essence to create these unique tarot card and book pairings for the 5 cards from the Major Arcana.

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Why is a tarot ecourse important for beginners?

why is a tarot ecourse important for beginners“Why should I bother with a tarot ecourse given the abundance of information out there,” you ask? Let me list out the reasons…

The tarot is a powerful tool. In fact, it is one of the most powerful tools that I have in my toolkit. I use it in my spiritual practice to help with healing, growth and self reflection; in my art practice, as a jumping off point for colours and symbols and story telling; in my writing practice, to craft blog posts, manifest my desires, and meet myself on the page.

The tarot is an ancient tool. From it’s humble beginnings as a deck of 22 playing cards, the tarot has come a long way indeed. For one, it’s expanded into a deck of 78 cards. The images and symbols on the cards have been enhanced over the years, with every artist…every deck creator…adding their own unique perspective on the cards.Continue reading→

How to learn to read Tarot cards with ease

Picture this: you log on to google, curious about the Tarot, wanting to do a spot of research to find out some information about what Tarot is, how it works, which cards to buy. So, you type in: best tarot cards for beginners and get eleventy million results.

Eeek, that’s too many! Let’s see if I can find out more about its origins instead, you think. Eleventy billion results.

Aargh! Ok, this should be simpler – how does the Tarot work? You type into google. Eleventy trillion results.

AAAHHH! You howl, and run away from the computer.

But it doesn’t have to be this complicated – pinky promise!Continue reading→

How to trim Tarot cards + a lesson in facing fears

how to trim tarot or cards

I came across a rather heated argument on a Tarot forum recently, and thought I’d weigh in with my 2 cents. The argument started when someone posted pictures of a Tarot deck that they had modified by cutting the white borders around the card. While a lot of people chimed in with pictures of their own modified decks, there were some who roundly criticized the lot of them for “disfiguring” and “ruining” their Tarot cards.

I share my take in this video, and show you how I trimmed the borders on one of my old Oracle decks. You can see the huge difference that trimming edges off your cards can make to the cards!

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My greatest treasure: A mirror to my heart #WriteBravely

What if I told you that my greatest treasure is a mirror? But it is no ordinary mirror – it’s a mirror to my heart, to my soul. It gives me a portal into my own innate wisdom, a way to navigate through the inevitable obstacles that arise during my days. It reflects back both light and shadows, helping me to gently work at uncovering my hurts, tending to them, and becoming whole again.

It works, like most magical mirrors do, with intention, with questions; the clearer the intent, the more focused the question, the stronger the mirror’s reflective powers.Continue reading→

Passion projects, personal transformation and overcoming resistance

Tarot guidance for personal transformationI start each morning with a moment of mindfulness, spending some time with a simple question and a single card drawn from my Tarot deck.

Each morning the cards reflect back a nugget of wisdom – it could be a simple reminder telling me to stay focused on the task at hand; a not-so-subtle push to stop day dreaming and start doing already; or an indication of a broader energy that I may need to work with during the day.

For today’s daily Tarot pull, I sat with this simple question:

What do I need to know about personal transformation?

When I drew the card and wrote down the message in my Tarot journal, I immediately knew that this was something that needed to be shared. Continue reading→

What is the difference between Tarot and Oracle cards

This is a common question that many people ask when they’re starting out on an inner quest – Tarot Cards or Oracle Cards – which are better? How are they different? Let me try to break it down for you.

The difference between Tarot and Oracle cards

Both the Tarot and Oracle cards can be powerful tools for personal growth, inspiration and divination. So there is no major difference there. Where they really differ is in their structure.

No matter which Tarot deck you buy  or which system it follows, a Tarot deck always has 78 cards. These cards are always divided into 22 Major Arcana cards and 56 Minor Arcana cards. The 22 Major Arcana cards always depict major events and turning points in our lives. The naming conventions may differ slightly from deck to deck, but the broad meanings are largely similar.

The rest of the 56 Minor Arcana cards are suit cards – wands, swords, cups and pentacles. These represent the daily ebb and flow of life. Each of these is related to one of the four elements and a particular trait.Continue reading→

A look at how the Tarot works

In my previous post, I shared a bit about the history of the Tarot and briefly introduced you to the cards. Today, let me tell you how the Tarot works – and doesn’t work.

There’s a lot of mystery surrounding the Tarot, which isn’t surprising given its portrayal in the movies. Picture this:

A young girl goes to a fortune teller, who pulls out the Death cards and says something like: “Oh, Death! Someone you love is going to die today!” *Cue dramatic music in the background.*

I say: Bullshit!

Tarot cards - Death

From the Mary-El Tarot Tarot deck – I love this version of the card. It depicts what Death truly represents – the end of a cycle or transformation.

For one, Death very rarely means the literal death of someone – so breathe! For another, the Tarot does not tell you exactly what will happen, or exactly when it will happen, and a reading isn’t set in stone. Hello, free will!

The Tarot provides you with a road map

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What is the Tarot: A brief history and introduction to the cards

The Tarot of Jacques Viéville (Paris 1650) Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1249445

The Tarot of Jacques Viéville (Paris 1650)
Public Domain

When I wrote about the Tarot last month, I didn’t expect so many of you to be interested in both a reading and in knowing more about the cards! Since so many of you asked, here’s some information on the Tarot.

A brief history of Tarot

The origin of the Tarot is a bit of a mystery. Some sources say the cards originated in Italy in the 15th century, others that they’ve been around since the mid-18th century. But what is largely undisputed is that the cards were discovered by scholars of the occult in the later part of the 18th and 19th centuries. They connected the cards to Egyptian philosophy, the Kabbalah, alchemy and other systems.

However, Arthur Edward Waite is largely viewed as the father of modern Tarot. In the 20th century, he commissioned artist Pamela Coleman Smith to create what he called the “rectified” Tarot. His version of the cards has been widely accepted as the standard, and is by far the most popular deck – and the easiest for those looking to learn the Tarot given its rich symbolism and the simple artwork.Continue reading→