The Tarot The origin of the Tarot is a mystery. We do know for sure that the cards were used in Italy in the 15th century as a popular card game. Wealthy patrons commissioned beautiful decks, some of which are still in existence. The Visconti-Sforza, created in 1450 or shortly thereafter, is one of the earliest and most complete of the Tarot decks. Later in the 18th and 19th centuries, the cards were discovered by a number of influential scholars of the occult. They were fascinated by the Tarot and recognized that the images on the cards were more powerful than a simple game would suggest. They connected the cards to Egyptian mysteries, Hermetic philosophy, the Qabala, alchemy, and other mystical systems. These pursuits continued into the early part of the 20th century when the Tarot was incorporated into the practices of several secret societies, including the Order of the Golden Dawn. Although the Tarot is rooted in the occult tradition, interest in the cards has expanded in the last few decades to include many different perspectives. Hundreds of new decks have been created that reflect these interests including Native American, herbal, mythological, and animal decks. The Tarot was originally a deck of 78 cards, divided into 4 suits of 14 cards (the standard ace through ten, plus the page, knight, queen, and king) and twenty-two unnumbered "triumphs" or "trumps." Over the years, the trumps have been numbered from one to twenty-one, with one card (the Fool) remaining unnumbered or zero. The four suits are commonly called the "Minor Arcana" and the trump cards are called the "Major Arcana." The most commonly found suits for Tarot decks are cups, swords, wands, and pentacles, which correlate with a regular deck of playing cards with suits of hearts, spades, clubs, and diamonds. A typical Tarot reading involves a person who is looking for answers and a reader who knows how to interpret the cards. After the person has shuffled and cut the deck, the reader lays out the chosen cards in a pattern called a spread, the most popular being the Celtic Cross. Each position in the spread has a meaning, and each card has a meaning as well. The reader combines these two meanings along with the reader’s intuitive ability to interpret the answer. Let’s take a card, the nine of pentacles, from the Tarot of the Cat People. The nine of pentacles describes a well-dressed and obviously wealthy woman who appears proud of her accomplishments. Each of her nine cats has a pentacle as an indication of material wealth, financial success, and satisfaction. What would this particular card mean to you? What would you project to be the meaning for someone else? To answer this question, let's look at randomness more closely. Usually we say that an event is random when it appears to be the result of the chance interaction of mechanical forces. From a set of possible outcomes - all equally likely - one occurs, but for no particular reason. The Tarot decks�?intriguing pictures and patterns are a means in tapping into one’s intuitive nature. The power of the Tarot comes from this combination of the personal and the universal. You can see each card in your own way, but, at the same time, you are supported by understandings that others have found meaningful. We use our own perception to interpret the cards. 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. Each of us has spirit guides that serve as a fountain of meaning for us. Your spirit guides are always with you because they are a part of you. You can't destroy this connection, but you can ignore it. When you reach for your Tarot deck, you signal to Spirit or your spirit guides that you are open to their wisdom. This simple act of faith allows you to become aware of the guidance that was always there for you. We are meant by nature to rely on the wisdom of our spirit guides, but sometimes we forget to ask. We trust our conscious mind instead, and forget to look deeper. Our conscious minds are clever, but in our human experience we just don't have the full awareness we need to make appropriate choices. When we are operating from our conscious minds, we often feel as if events are forced upon us by chance. When we know how to access our spirit guides, we experience life differently. We have the certainty and peace that comes from aligning our conscious will with our inner purpose. Our path becomes clearer and we can see more clearly how to bring together the scattered elements of our lives to fulfill our destinies. The Tarot is one of the best tools to make the whispers of the spirit guides more available consciously. Their ideas, images, and feelings that emerge through a reading are messages from them. How do you know there is a message, and it’s not just your imagination? You can’t, really. You can only trust your experience. With practice, you will be able to tell the difference between your thinking mind and your intuitive sense.  Next Page: Crystal Ball   Click Here To Enter