History, Mystery & Basic Structure

Lesson 1: Intuitive Tarot Certification Course

So begins my journey into the world of Tarot. I will be using The Rider-Waite and The Witches Tarot decks. I picked up The Witches Tarot a while back, the artwork is what drew me to it. It has been used a lot in my photography, but never for divination. The second deck purchased was the Rider-Waite deck, honestly a store owner told me that this would be a great deck to learn on, so I bought them. I actually really like this deck now, and pleased that I have it. I’m sure I will purchase a few more decks throughout this course, right now I have my eye on the Dali deck.

An older deck I really like is The Gumppenberg Neoclassical Tarot, circa 1807-1816. The obvious reason I chose it, was that it grabbed my eye. I like the dark and sleek design. It is a 78 card deck, printed on metal engraving plates and hand colored. The Major Arcana is different from traditional tarot, it has Roman numerals and Italian titles. The Minor Arcana are numbered in Arabic in the upper left and right corners. The pip cards in the suit have Spanish type that don’t interlace. The deck has a repeating border throughout, with an alternating oval and round shape. The cards are polished and have a repeating star design with rays alternating around a single dot on the back. Gumppenberg’s name appears on the ace of cups. There was a reprint of the deck in 1980 by Edizioni del Solleone under Vito Areinti’s direction. It was limited to 1500 decks.

I was asked to pick out a card from the Major Arcana that I felt most represented me. I didn’t even have to look to pick out my card. Strength has been something I’ve needed for a long time now. I feel that it represents my life significantly over the past 12 months. Not only have I risen above and beyond so many hardships, I’ve seen my entire family do the same. They are a part of me as well. Honestly, I didn’t know I had it in me until last year. I’ve seen death, pain and struggle. I know I have more obstacles ahead, but today I stand strong!

The next two question kind of go hand in hand, which suit and card in the Minor Arcana call to me and why? The Swords seem to call out to me the most. I see a fight to be had, whether it be my mental or physical ability. I see a defense mechanism popping up, always on the lookout for what’s to come. I will welcome anything, but will fight off anything negative. With that said I feel most connected to The Queen of Swords. Again, I feel a lot of fight and strength in this card as well as being defensive.

Another question was, Do the Swords represent Fire or Air? I would have to go with Air. Air is something that is all around us, It connects us with all the elements. I see the swords as being the same way, I find it the strongest of the suit. I live day to day looking for what mother nature is going to send me, based on the wind. If I’m golfing or wakeskating, air could screw it up with a nice gust of wind. This is how I’ve lived for a long time and is also when I feel the strongest. This may change as I learn and grow with the Tarot.

On a final note, there’s much controversy in the world of Tarot where The Fool (0) should be placed. One theory by French occultist Eliphas Levi wrote in his book The Dogmna and Ritual of Transcendental Magic place it between 20 and 21, some occultists still follow this sequence. In my opinion, I would place it as the first card in the Major Arcana.

I’m looking to find out how other people view Tarot, feel free to post your thoughts, opinions and comments.

Thanks for stopping by! Well wishes to you all and have a great weekend!

Lisa