Tarot reading, or tarot card reading, is a practice of using cards from a deck of tarot cards to gain information about a person’s past, present, and future. It is a subset of Cartomancy. Until the 18th century, tarot cards were actually used like a normal deck, to play card games. It was only in the 18th century that Protestant clergymen and Freemasons began to apply some divinatory meaning to all cards.
They suggested that the cards and the pictorial representation were indicative of the past, present and future of whoever selected them. Thus began the process of finding the hidden meaning within the cards.
The deck of Tarot cards had 78 cards. These include 14 cards of each suit (Club, Spade, Diamond, and Heart), along with 22 trump cards. The trump cards include the Fool or the Magician, among others. These were the original playing decks.
Let us now understand the distribution of these tarot cards, for divinatory purposes.
Tarot Cards: Suits and other specifications
• The modern deck is divided into four suits. Just like a playing card has aces, clubs, diamonds, and hearts; the reading cards are divided into 4 suits, namely: Pentacles, Swords, Cups and Wands.
• Each suit had 14 cards and the numbering is put on the card to represent the objects in numerical form.
• So if there is a card with the number X and the drawing is that of Wands, it will be called ‘The Ten of Wands’. Similarly you have the ‘Four of Pentacles’ and ‘The Nine of Swords’ etc.
• Along with these you have the 22 trump cards. These trump cards are significant, as they are most often read as cards that talk about events or circumstances, from the past, present, or future.
• The most famous trump cards are; The Fool, The Magician, The Tower, The High Priestess, The Lovers, etc.
• Each card represents a certain meaning or has some connection to the life of the individual drawing it.
Tarot card spreads
Tarot cards are laid out in different ways, to form different shapes, depending on the type of reading or the purpose of the reading. Although it is not mandatory, this is how it was done traditionally.
1. Propagation of Tetraktys
Here, 10 cards are placed to form a pyramid. 4 cards on the bottom, 3 on the top row, then two on top, and finally the last card on top. This differential is used to predict a person’s general state and well-being. It covers basic physical elements and spiritual elements.
2. Distribution in cross and triangle
This spread is formed by placing three cards on the bottom, followed by 3 cards placed on top of the center card, one on top of the other, then two cards on the side, and one last card on top. It represents a cross and is used to measure a general sense of the direction of a person’s life.
3. Spread of the Celtic cross
The most well-known diffusion of the whole process, the Celtic cross, aims to give an idea about the general life and expectations of the person. People opt for this reading mainly because it covers many aspects of a person’s life and gives an overview.
4. Propagation of relationships
As the name suggests, this spread aims to answer all relationship related questions. Not necessarily love relationships but any relationship. The spread uses 9 cards, where the first 5 are placed on top of each other and then three are dealt starting from the fourth card.
5. Propagation of past lives
This is also known as the reverse propagation. It is in the shape of an inverted triangle, the exact reverse of the Tetrakyts spread and speaks of past life effects. Tarot card reading is done all over the world and is followed in large numbers. Although there have been reports of many hoaxes, it is an occult science that has been garnering world attention for years.
They say that in life you have to play the hand you’re dealt. Tarot can show you your cards. Even if it’s just for fun!