From time to time I crack open The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (in full color, Causeway edition) by Arthur Edward Waite and read not what the “meanings” of cards are, but rather, what he himself regarded as the “proper” use of the tarot. To him, the 22 major arcana belonged in a class of their own, while the other 52 cards were accessory to the first group and therefore, rather unimportant. Mr. Waite makes it a point to stress, throughout his work the frivolity of using tarot other than for “higher” means, such as the purpose of seeking and even clarifying spiritual truths. On this point I do not argue, because the majors can in fact be utilized for this purpose, as I have experienced on my own (no, I am not tooting my own horn here, please do read on). However, when it comes to the minor arcana, the 52-cards Mr. Waite frowns upon, I wholeheartedly believe they too, serve a valuable purpose, one which Mr. Waite, in my opinion, closed himself up to given that tools of divination, for him were “…a profanuum vulgus…”[1]
However, this article is not aimed at breaking down each and every of Mr. Waite’s words along with his ranting’s about Levi and many others whom he chops down with the sharp edge of a machete (might as well call it a “sword” since we are discussing tarot here), to which he was within his own right, given that tarot was not readily stocked at your nearest bookstore back in the early 1900’s. This article (short entry is more like it) has its’ intention on stressing the importance of making tarot your own. Reading the book in its entirety, there is one point permanently embedded within my neurons, and that is -the importance of making tarot your own. You are going to read books upon books, released almost on a monthly basis, covering the same information about tarot card meanings and the imagery. You will read about creating spells with tarot, using tarot to write and how to manifest the things you need. Do not get me wrong, you can do all of these things, but before embarking on these uses, you must make the tarot your own.
Tarot is a journey. It is not reading a book and regurgitating what you have read to fit the cards before you. Tarot takes dedication and it can be spiritual, but this second point is not a requirement nor does it make you a “better” reader. Tarot can be uplifting and inspiring. Tarot can be a good slap in the face whenever you need a reality check. On this last point, I can testify and expand upon, but not within the confines of these margins in particular. But before tarot becomes any of these things to you, you have to begin the journey to make tarot your own. I cannot do this for you and there is no course (well there are some very good ones out there, please do not take offense, no sword jabbing here) that will make it magically happen for you. In fact, the more courses you take, the easier it is for your mind to become skewed and even confused. You can even lose your voice and style, at least I know I did for a little while, until I was able to find it again (many people will not admit that as they drive through life super sizing their ego). If you can remember one thing, tarot is about finding yourself. You find your voice, your style and your own interpretations of tarot.
I say again, you find your own interpretations of tarot and as you journey along, those interpretations will expand and become quite diverse. There is not one set of interpretations which are proper, giving you the green light to pass go and collect $200. There are base interpretations and that is about it. The base interpretations are merely shells of the possibilities which truly lie within each card. Each card, whether major or minor arcana, is significant, at least to me. If this is not the case for you, then that is fine, just be sure that your feet are firmly on the ground when you make such statements. Examine each card carefully and prudently before shooting off what the card means. This takes time and patience.
Above all, it takes dedication. There are a myriad of books out there and tons of correspondences which you may reference. I have to be honest, it is not crucial for me to rely upon correspondences when performing any reading. Such information comes in handy from time to time, particularly if you are feeling “stuck” for a moment and wish to expand upon one card in particular, but I do not find it to be the only gateway for having the cards open up to you. And yes, they will open up to you when you are ready.
So we are back to square one, asking ourselves, to tarot or to not tarot? That is indeed the question of the hour. You do not have to tarot for the purpose of divination. You can tarot for purposes related to appreciation of art, history, philosophy or just plain old collect tarot decks because that is your hobby. I respect each individual’s choice to tarot and happily listen to and read from those who have taken these routes with regards to tarot. The bottom line is this, you can tarot in your own way, and it does not have to be for divination purposes. Unlike our comrade in spirit, Arthur, who absolutely despised using tarot for divination due to his quirky views regarding it, mostly due (I infer) to his own close mindedness and obsession about divination being related to “darkness/evil”, we can utilize tarot in a manner of methods previously described within this article. It is ironic how Arthur was bothered by the task of assigning meanings to each tarot card, and found the task “below” himself yet, as we fast forward many decades later, we find ourselves in a bit of a renaissance regarding tarot. Personally, I am thankful for the revival. Society evolves, our spirituality is ever evolving and our views along with our attitudes change. Change is good and variety is the flavor of life which is my view, very opposite to our friend Arthur, who states, “…the divinatory art is at once artificial and arbitrary…in the highest degree…the allocation of a fortune-telling aspect to these cards is the story of a prolonged impertinence.”[2] This is quite the statement from someone whose deck would become the most recognized, bought and copied in the decades which followed.
The crucial ingredient for achieving success with your tarot practice/study is making tarot your own. Remember, that our friend in spirit, Arthur, was not a fan of divination, which makes the task of creating our own meanings for each card, all the more important of a process. Neither I, nor anyone else can do this for you. There are a plethora of books out there addressing tarot meanings to the tune of Arthur Edward Waite. These books serve as fantastic jumping off points…but that is about it. The rest is literally up to you and lies within the palm of your hand. How you chose to tarot or not is entirely your personal choice.
[1]
Waite, Arthur Edward, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (New York: Causeway), 42.
[2]
Waite, Arthur Edward, The Pictorial Key to the Tarot (New York: Causeway), 287.
