At an expo a little while ago, a couple brought their almost-four-year-old boy for a three-card reading. I had my doubts about the ethics of it, but I didn't want to reject him either. So I asked if he had a question. He asked if he could be a knight. I drew the 7 of Cups, which, for an adult, I find generally indicates an overabundance of choices. For a 4 y/o kid, though, it seemed to say, "You have so many choices!" Next, the Ace of Cups--a complicated card, but I chose the interpretation of "sacrificial love", which his mom and I had to explain to him. Finally, the Queen of Pentacles, who regards her resources as a trust held for others. (Mom and I explained "stewardship".) All in all, my answer: "If you want to, yes." I asked if they wanted to take a photo of the spread, which they did. I regret nothing.
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I haven't the first idea what people mean when they ask for a "general reading'; in fact, in my experience, there isn't any such thing. A Tarot reading is a collaborative venture; if someone tells me they "just want to see what the cards say about" this or that, my usual response will be "The cards don't say anything; they are pieces of waxed cardboard with pictures on them.
I would be giddy with delight if everyone who wanted a Tarot reading would read this first: https://www.tarot.com/tarot/how-to-phrase-your-question Those of us old enough to remember Touch-Tone® telephones probably remember the phone numbers of their childhood homes at least in part by the series of “beeps” emitted by the buttons when pushed. What many may not know is that each of the buttons in the array actually emitted two tones simultaneously--hence the technical term “dual-tone multi-frequency signaling.” Put very simply, each column of buttons in the array was assigned its own unique tone, whilst each row was also assigned a tone of its own. The resultant intersectionality of tones gave each button its unique sound. The Minor Arcana of the Tarot, comprising the numbered cards from ace to ten, plus the sixteen court cards, can be understood in a similar way. Each number from one to ten is assigned a numerological meaning, generally the ones first promulgated by Pythagoras. (The court cards are assigned meaning according to the station and function in life of Kings, Queens, Knights and Pages.) One may think of each of these numerological meanings as a unique “boop.’ At the same time, each of the four traditional elements of Earth, Air, Fire, and Water has its meaning, derived from alchemy and other ancient thought systems, which one may regard as the signature “boop” of the suit associated with that element (Earth/Coins, Air/Swords, Fire/Wands and Cups/Water). So each card in the Minor Arcana sits at the intersection of the number “boops” and the suit “boops”, giving each card its unique “beep.” So if you are daunted by the idea of trying memorize the “meaning” of each of the fifty-six cards, my advice would be “don’t do that.” Instead, memorize the alchemical meaning of each of the suits and the Pythagorean meaning of the numbers. When these two “boops’ sound together, the resultant “beep” will tell you the “meaning” of the card. Notes: You can learn more than you ever imagined possible about Pythagoras’s numerology from this book by his disciple, Iamblichus. Also, the extravagantly beautiful Influence of the Angels Tarot includes two reference cards spelling out the meanings of number and suit that, when combined, show the meaning of the cards. Come join the many nifty vendors and practitioners this weekend! On Sunday at 11:30, I'll be giving an "Introduction to Tarot reading" talk. This event was a great success last time, and looks like it will be even better this time around. Free admission!
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AuthorScott lives in Philadelphia. ArchivesCategories |