Psychic Guild Blog

For the month of August, our featured tarot card is the Wheel of Fortune. It is the tenth trump card of the Major Arcana. What’s unique about this card is that it is one of the few without a human figure as the focal point.

It is often depicted as a clockwise-turning, six or eight-spoked wheel with figures, sometimes beasts, rising and falling with its movement. In the Rider-Waite version, it includes some Hebrew letters and alchemy symbols. Some decks draw it with a sphinx on top, while others have a human attendant beside the wheel. The AG Müller tarot card shows it with a blind-folded person beside the wheel.

Jupiter is this card’s ruling planet. There are different ways to interpret this card when it shows up during a tarot reading, but the most common is that it represents a vision, a realization or a turning point. The most obvious is that it represents luck and a change of fortune. It can mean abundance, joy and happiness for the querant. With its shape and natural movement, it can also mean evolution and change. But most tarot readers would interpret it as a pleasant surprise.

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The tarot card suit of cups is most often associated with feelings and emotions. This is associated with positive traits such as affectionate, caring, gentle, gracious and patient. On the negative side, traits like escapist, frail, introverted, lazy and overemotional reflect on this suit.

The cups suit is also called the suit of cauldrons, vessles, goblets and chalices in different versions of the tarot decks. Its counterpart in the Anglo-American playing cards is the suit of hearts. It is said to be of the water element and is linked to astrological signs like Cancer, Scorpio and Pisces.

In the course of a tarot reading, if cups cards appear it may be interpreted as a strong surge of feelings. It is also associated with emotions, psychic abilities and fantasy. If the spread is predominantly made up of cups tarot cards, then it can result in the blossoming of a new relationship or friendship for the querant. It can even mean involvement in a project one is passionate about.

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The tarot card suit of coins is usually associated with the material aspect of the querant’s life. It can mean that the querant is dependable, driven, generous, hardworking and practical. On the darker side, this tarot card also has negative traits such as being obsessive, pessimistic, rigid and uncompromising.

The coin suit is also called pentacles, discs, cash or gold in different versions of the tarot decks. Its counterpart in the Anglo-American version of the playing cars is the suit of diamonds. It is said to be connect to the Earth element and astrological signs such as Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn.

During a tarot card reading, if the suit of coins appears, it can be associated with the querant’s finances, possessions, accomplishments, business and home. In a deeper reading, it can also represent the intangible qualities such as one’s personal values and beliefs as well as his or her self-worth.

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The tarot card suit of swords is usually associated with thinking. On the positive side, it can represent one who is analytical, clearheaded, ethical, intellectual and just. On the negative side, it can be someone condescending, controlling, arrogant, judgmental and overbearing.

The sword suit is also called the suit of blades, daggers, knives or spades in different versions of the tarot decks. It is often linked to the element of air and astrological signs like Gemini, Libra and Aquarius. It represents our rational faculties and communication abilities.

During a tarot reading, if the sword card comes out, it can mean challenges and difficulties. If the spread is predominantly made up of swords, it can result in arguments, illness and to some extremist tarot readers, even death. The presence of swords does not always have to denote the negative, it can simply mean a moment of confusion. Swords also signify legal and political systems. Some tarot card reading versions draw this suit in relation to the scales of balance and justice. As such, it may represent legal arrangements such as contracts, leases, agreements or purchase documents.

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Most tarot card readings use the Major Arcana cards in the reader’s preferred layout (ie the Celtic Cross). These cards are easier to use for answering specific questions as well as for general tarot readings that are more towards storytelling mode.

However, the use of the Minor Arcana cards have also started becoming more popular. These cards are closer to the Anglo-American playing cards and are still pretty open to interpretation.

For tarot readers who prefer to use the Minor Arcana cards, they can base their reading on the characteristics usually associated with specific tarot suits. For instance, Wands are usually associated with creativity, enthusiasm, charisma and courage. On the negative side, Wands can represent aggressiveness, cockiness, a dare-devil and headstrong attitude. Card types, such as the Ace, show these suit qualities in their top form.

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A set of tarot cards is made of 78 cards which is divided into sections. The divisions are either by five, three or two sections.

Two sections:
Major Arcana – These are also known as the trump cards consists of 22 cards. While each deck has its own variation for the names of the trump cards, the most common ones are: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgment and The World.

Minor Arcana - Also known as the suits, consists of fifty six cards with four suits of fourteen cards each. Each suite has ten numbered cards plus four court cards (King, Queen, Knight and Jack/Page)

Three sections
1. Trumps
2. Court Cards
3. Pips

Essentially, for this division, the Minor Arcana tarot cards are further subdivided into two sets. The first set is the court cards, which is made up of the King, Queen, Knight and Page. Each court card is assigned an element. Page is associated with Earth, Knight is to air, Queen represents water and King is symbolic of fire.

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This month’s featured tarot card is The Lovers. This is the sixth trump card of the Major Arcana in traditional tarot decks. It is often depicted by a couple with Cupid or an angel above them. In earlier decks, it was simply known as Love. This tarot card is often associated with the star sign Gemini. In some decks, it is even known as The Twins.

With different versions of the tarot cards, so came different renditions. In the Cary-Yale Visconti tarot deck, it shows a royal wedding. While in the Waite tarot deck it is drawn somewhat similar to Adam and Eve, with a tree and a serpent.

The most common interpretation of The Lovers is that it represents relationships and choices. If it appears during a tarot reading, it may mean that a decision point has been reached in an existing relationship or a choice of potential partners is soon to be made. Some tarot readers associate it with pleasure, desire, passion and sexuality.

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A lot of websites will offer free tarot readings online. These are usually done via an automated program that lets you virtually shuffle the cards via a click. This then generates a digital spread and a program “reads” you your tarot cards. A pre-determine message will appear based on the combination of cards plus the position of each one. If a website offers this kind of free tarot reading online, please do yourself a favor and spare yourself some time by skipping those.

Tarot reading is an art. It is something you can learn, but it takes experience to properly understand the meanings of the spread of cards laid out for you. If you want the convenience of free tarot readings online, but would rather get a genuine reading from a real practitioner and not a computer program, then you should consider other options. For instance, you can try a tarot chat. This is a service offered by a reader that allows you to see them work with cards that are spread for you. The tarot reader uses actual cards and interprets their meaning for you via the live webcam chat. It offers the same experience as a real tarot reading, while letting you enjoy the scene from the comfort of your own home.

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The Hanged Man is the twelfth trump in the Major Arcana tarot cards. It is often depicted as a man hanging by one foot and is upside-down. He is suspended the Tau cross – either from a wooden beam or a tree. The position of the figure forms a fylfot cross. He is also sometimes drawn with a halo around his head, suggesting martyrdom. Some tarot cards illustrate the Hanged man with his hands bound, but in others, they simply dangle. Some tarot cards also show fallen coins or money bags. In earlier decks, this tarot card was known as The Traitor.
There may be varied interpretations of The Hanged Man. It is not, in essence, a representation of death. More likely, it represents a suspension of life, which requires patience and perhaps even acceptance. It can represent a time of trial or meditation.

The card is also suggestive of sacrifice and contemplation. Having this card appear during a tarot reading may mean the querant has to let go of certain worldly attachments (thus the fallen money bags/coins). He or she also has to open up to other truths to get a deeper perspective of things.

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While today’s tarot readings are usually done off the more popular decks such as the Rider-Waite, few know of its history. The earliest decks were actually hand-painted and were of limited availability. Only during the advent of the printing press did it become more accessible to the public.

One of those that survived the test of time came from the French city of Marseille. The Tarot de Marseille is a standard pattern of design form which may of today’s decks are derived.

The name of the pattern was coined only in 1889 by Gerard Encausse in his book le Tarot des bohemiens. It was popularized by the Paul Marteau, who used the name to refer to designs produced in the city of Marseille.

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