The tarot is an effective tool for self-knowledge, a guide to the unusual world of internal transformation. Various decks allow you to reveal the secret messages of the Universe and expand the vision of man himself and the world. These cards can be used as a plan drawn in the Arkans with the help of symbols, peculiar road signs on the path of the individual. If you read their meaning correctly, you can get an in-depth look and discover new perspectives in any incomprehensible situation.
Tarot Ryder-Waite
The Ryder Waite deck is one of the most popular types of tarot. It is formed from the Senior and Younger Arcana. The latter are divided into the following varieties of suits: Swords, Cups, Pentacles and Wands.
This deck was created in 1910 by Arthur Waite, who was fond of Freemasonry, Kabbalah and other types of magical knowledge. Illustrations for the maps were drawn by an English artist named Pamela Colman-Smith. For the first time this deck was published by William Ryder, as a result of which the Tarot got the double name: Ryder-Waite.
Distinctive features
The main feature of this type of Tarot is the change of places of the 11th and 8th Arcana. The “Justice” card took 11th position, and “Strength” - 8th. Waite himself did not explain this reformation in any way. There was also some updating of the symbolism of the 6th Arcana, known as “Lovers”. In the deck of the Marseille Tarot and in the vast majority of ancient decks in this Arcana, a young man was shown making a choice between two ladies. In some decks this card was called “Choice”. But in Waite’s deck, the young man was replaced by a biblical picture of naked ancestors - Adam and Eve. Another important point is that it was in the Waite deck for the first time in Tarot history that illustrations endowed with a certain semantic load began to be applied. Prior to this, the images were peculiar only to the Senior Arcana. On the Younger, there was only a schematic representation of the sign of the suit.
Tarot Thoth
This type of Tarot cards, like other typical decks, consists of cards of two main groups. These are the Junior and Senior Arcana. The tarot is named after Thoth, the Egyptian patron saint of wisdom.
The Minors in this deck include Wands, Swords, Cups and Disks. Each of the suits begins with Ace, followed by Two, Three, and so on. Then follow the curly Minor Arcana - Princess, Prince, Queen and Knight.
A distinctive feature of the Tarot Thoth deck is its voluminous drawings. Images are drawn with sharp lines; they have no partial shadows. It is not always the first time you can understand the meaning of images in the Arcana. They are full of rich symbolism, including that taken from Egyptian mythology. The color scheme makes this set one of the most unique types of Tarot decks. The cards make the questioner think about many things - no one has surpassed the Aleister Crowley deck in terms of meaning.
Crowley renamed some Major Arcana:
- Arkan "Mir" became the "Universe";
- “Strength” - “Lust”;
- The Wheel of Fortune is simply Fortune;
- Arkan "Justice" became "Regulation";
- “Moderation” - “Art”;
- “Court” - “Aeon”.
The tarot of Thoth was published after the death of Crowley himself and their artist, Lady Harris.
Tarot lenorman
Madame Lenormand has become famous throughout the world since the 17th century thanks to her gift as a soothsayer. Lenormand made predictions to Napoleon himself. Two types of decks were named after her - astromythological and gypsy. The latter includes 36 Arcana, which allows you to replace it with simple playing cards to simplify fortune telling. Interpreting cards is quite simple thanks to the clear images of the Arcana.
Tarot Era of Aquarius
It is considered one of the most attractive and responsive types of Tarot cards (the photo of the deck is presented below). The cards were created by an artist named Marina Bolgarchuk, and they were printed in one of the oldest printing houses in St. Petersburg, which issued cards for the royal court.
The name of this deck is due to the fact that human civilization in the third millennium should enter the so-called Era of Aquarius. In the deck, the Senior and Younger Arcana are depicted very distinctively. They differ from traditional Tarot stories proposed by Waite. In the Senior Arkans, motives of Russian and French classicism of fortune-telling cards, which are complemented by the artist's imagination, are traced. At first glance, the Arcana may seem simple, but upon closer examination, they become more and more fascinating.
Marseille Tarot
One of the most famous and popular types of tarot. Tarot researchers consider Francois Chausson to be the author of the deck. The modern version was created on the basis of maps that appeared in Marseille back in 1672.
For this reason, the deck got its name. Currently, several more decks have appeared on the basis of this type of Tarot, but there are no significant differences between them. Mainly features relate to Junior Arcana.
Mysteries of Avalon deck
Some researchers believe that once England was called Avalon, or the island where mysterious people lived - Hyperboreans. They were the bearers of a visionary gift, were magicians. One of the Druid priests named Merlin became a teacher of Prince Arthur.
The cards of the “Mystery of Avalon” introduce us to the era of the reign of King Arthur, a world of mystical legends that connect the secrets of the island of Avalon, the courage of the Knights of the Round Table and the symbolism of the Holy Grail. The Mysteries of Avalon tarot consists of 78 cards. Each of them refers to a certain mythical element.
Types of Tarot Card Deals
The listed decks can be used for various hands. Let's consider some of them.
- "Three cards." The classic layout, in which three Arcana are removed from the deck. The first of them means the past, lying in the middle - the present, the far right - the future.
- "One card." Used when you need a clear answer to a specific question. The deck is shuffled, while the questioner should focus on the things that interest him. Then he gets one card, which will be the answer of the Tarot deck.
- "Pyramid of Lovers." It is used to clarify the situation of the relationship between a man and a woman. To deal, you need to get four cards. The first three cards are laid out in one row, the fourth is placed on top. The resulting figure looks like a pyramid with a wide base. In the first row, a card is placed in the center, it symbolizes the querent and his condition in the light of existing relations. The second card is placed on the left, it symbolizes the partner. The third is on the right, she talks about the current relationship. The fourth Arkan, which is the “peak” of this pyramid, will talk about the possible future, due to the current actions of the participants in a love affair.
If a flipped card
When performing the alignment, it is necessary to remember: the value of the Tarot in an inverted form often has an independent meaning. Many authors are convinced that the Arcana in their reverse position are negative. If the overall layout is full of upturned cards, this may indicate difficulties, problems, obstacles, emotional stress. Each of the cards, one way or another, should be considered in the context of the whole layout. And therefore, the meaning of Arkan in an inverted position can be mitigated by other cards that fell out in fortune telling.
At the same time, not always turned cards carry a negative meaning. Each of them carries an archetypal significance, and often Arkan, who has fallen in the opposite position, only changes his perception.