Tarot: a set of special playing cards used for fortune telling – Oxford English Dictionary
I find the subject of the Tarot very intriguing. There are many readers of the cards with many methods of reading them. I have yet to find two the same. Each reader will spend years perfecting their craft, although a simple spread can soon be mastered.
Each reader has their own preference for particular packs. There are hundreds of different ones, from the very old fashioned to the very modern day versions. If you decide to become a tarot reader you will soon find your own favourite. Most are very colourful and intricate.
There are different spreads to help the reader find the right information for you, according to what kind of advice you may need. These range from a simple 3 card spread to very compicated ones which use most of the usual 78 cards.
There are two parts to each pack. The Major Arcana, of which there are 22, and the Minor Arcana which has 56. Both have their uses, and are often used together, but each Arcana can be used alone. There are 4 suits to the minor arcarna, 10 plus the court cards of each suit. The court cards are usually the King, Queen, Knight and Page.
Although some packs use slightly differing names for their court cards, they are really the same and have the same meanings and values.
I find that often in a reading the sitter will be able to put all the information given by the reader in context with their present circumstances. I also find that the information can be pre empted by the sitter, or indeed pre determined.
Choose your reader with care and ask friends for recommendations of readers. As always, my advice is never pay out more than you can easily afford and go with an open mind. Never try to live your life on the basis of a tarot reading.