the tarot.
by Lilah Wild @ freestylewitchcraft.com
Decks used:
The Rider-Waite.
The Thoth.
The Vertigo.
The Barbara Walker.
The Halloween.
The Baphomet.
The Mage.
Black and White Magic by Marie LaVeau (has a section on fortune-telling with playing cards)
Wands: Weeks: Spring: Fire: Clubs: Enterprise and Energy: Spades
Swords: Months: Fall: Air: Spades: Aggression and Strife, Force, Quest, Courage: Clubs
Cups: Days: Summer: Water: Hearts: Love and Emotions: Hearts
Pentacles: Years: Winter: Earth: Diamonds: Money and Practicality: Diamonds
King: Spirit
Queen: Soul
Knight: Ego
Page: Body
the Major Arcana.
0: The Fool.
Jester. Starting an adventure, initiative, enthusiasm. Unlimited possibilities. Taking risks, resisting authority, freedom from preconception, following your own path. Metamorphosis. Folly, extravagance, intoxication, delirium, frenzy. Moving merrily along, totally oblivious to the cliff before you.
1: The Magician.
Master. Skill, self-confidence, self-reliance, willpower. Power, knowledge, creativity. Free will. Attainment of ego. Control, mastery, ambition. Seizing opportunities. A person of trickery and deception.
2: High Priestess.
Witch. Secrets, mystery, wisdom, intuition, the subconscious. A sense of knowing things which cannot be explained in normal terms, balancing between the seen and unseen. Hidden influences, duality.
3: The Empress.
Mother. Fruitfulness, fertility, giving birth. Creation. Passion, sensuality, desire. Abundance.
4: The Emperor.
Ruler. Stability, power, protection. Leadership and authority, law and order, structure. Control. Order. Reason, conviction, confidence. Accomplishment. Maturity.
5: The Hierophant.
Teacher. Inspiration, spiritual authority. Traditional ideas, wisdom.
6: The Lovers.
Love. Attraction, beauty, harmony, trust. Beginning of a romance/friendship, emotions, sincerity. An important relationship. Merging of opposites
7: The Chariot.
Journey. Perseverance, fortitude, leading to victory. Force of character. A voyage, with possible adversity. Movement. Being in the drivers' seat with control, self-discipline, and force of character.
8: Strength.
Use of subtle persuasion over force. Inner strength. Courage, control over a situation, conquest. Strength. Conviction, determination, action, confidence, success through using best instincts.
9: The Hermit.
Acting alone to seek hidden truths. Prudence, discretion, caution, withdrawal. Counsel, knowledge, self-illumination. Difficulty in connecting with the world or other people. Philosophical understanding and perspective through isolation.
10: Wheel of Fortune.
Flux. Destiny, fortune, luck. Conclusion, approaching the end of a problem.Cause and effect. Unexpected events, change of circumstances, events taking place of their own accord, without conscious control.Rolling with the punches but not passively.
11: Justice.
Honesty, Balance. Equity, fairness. Passing judgment, finding the verdict. Honesty to look at yourself, eliminating useless directions. A fair outcome, esp in a legal issue.
12: The Hanged Man.
Suspension. Sacrifice, trials, circumspection. Transition, changes, reversal of ones way of life. Postponed plans. Suffering, a victim. Reversal of normal values, following your own beliefs. Be patient.
13: Death.
Transformation. Rebirth, becoming, clearing away the old to make way for the new. Abrupt, totally unexpected change. Release from old patterns. The end of something that has become burdensome or meaningless. Renewal. Destruction followed by new growth.
14: Temperance.
Moderation. Alchemical, successful combinations. Sublimation. Economy, frugality, management. Self-possession, containment. Adaption, adjustment. Tests, trials.
15: The Devil.
Temptation. Blinding, bondage, illusions. Dark feelings and desires, especially sexual. Struggles with oppression. Self-indulgence, unethical behavior, abuse of power. Being a slave to your desires. Avoidance of responsibility. Materialism, deception.
16: The Tower.
Upheaval. Downfall, adversity, misery, distress. A dramatic overthrow of some major aspect of your life. Sudden change, unexpected events. Abandonment of past relationships, end of a long friendship. Shattering falsehoods. Loss of stability.
Painful or destructive experience, sometimes even violence, the ultimate result is liberation, enlightenment.
17: The Star.
Hope. Bright prospects, inspiration, optimism. Illumination, outpouring of emotions, openness. Mixing of past and present, harmony of conscious and subconscious. Clarity.
18: The Moon.
What is Hidden. Instincts, wildness, intuition. The unconscious.
Potential concealed dangers.
19: The Sun.
Accomplishment. Love, joy. Favorable social relationships, happy marriage, a good partnership. Material happiness, contentment.
20: Judgment.
Outcome. Atonement, time to account for the consequences of your actions. A time of great and positive change, esp in the way we see ourselves. Breaking out of a rut. Improvement, birth. A new beginning. Possible forgiveness.
21: The World.
Fulfillment. Sense of oneness with others or the world around you. Completion of a cycle. Success. Possible voyage, change of place, travel.
the Minor Arcana.
SWORDS - DYNAMISM
Ace of Swords.
Facing conflict or pain honestly, courage, clarity, knowledge. A new idea or insight.
Determination, initiative. Triumph, conquest, a personal victory.
2 of Swords.
Balance, dualities, opposites. Sharp differences between people, tension in relationships, indecision. A difficult search for compromise or balance. Precariousness.
3 of Swords.
Pain, sorrow, emotional agony. A disturbing outside influence. Betrayal, strife, division, disappointment. Absence, delay, rupture.
4 of Swords.
Withdrawal, retreat. Solitude, hermitage, exile, seclusion. Need for rest, escape. Vigilance, a warning against falsehood and double dealing.
5 Adversity of Swords.
Defeat. Loss, dishonor. Shame and infamy. A harsh situation where a person feels incapable of speaking out, the inability to defend yourself.
6 of Swords.
Passage, a journey literal or figurative. Better times lie ahead. Intellect, great ideas, seeing how everything fits together. May mean separating your ideas from your emotions.
7 of Swords.
Opposition. A plan that may fail, quarrelling, annoyance, instability. Difficult effort, struggle. A setback, or bout of bad luck. A plan that may not work. Partial success that does not justify the risks. The need to define yourself and your position. If troubles come, they will be caused by one of the opposite sex to the inquirer.
8 of Swords.
Crisis. Imprisonment, restrictive surroundings, fear of fleeing a bad situation, frozen in indecision. Concealing feelings of aggression, acting polite or nice when you don't necessarily feel like it. Allowing other people to confuse you. Disillusion.
9 of Swords.
Despair. Danger, cruelty, deception, unexpected disappointment in someone, loneliness. Friction through opposition to the wishes of friends. Enduring a cruel or painful situation. Refusing to give in or look away. Death, failure, miscarriage.
10. Completion of Swords.
Ruin. Oppression, agony, desolation. Detachment.
Princess/Page of Swords.
A spy. Authority, overseeing, vigilance, aggression. Active in the world, but in an intellectual, detached way. Believing yourself objective, but is driven by desires or fears.
Prince/Knight/Jack of Swords.
Warrior. A bold, righteous hero, defender of justice, someone of class or privilege. Skill, bravery, defense. Wrath, war, destruction. Impulsiveness.
Queen of Swords.
A smart, intuitive, intense woman who lives alone. Someone brilliant, but distant and unemotional. Detached, but not inhuman. Clear thinking. Unsusceptible to male attractions. Severe, familiarity with sorrow. Widowhood, separation, absence, sterility, mourning.
King of Swords.
Someone who has fought many battles in life. A strong, powerful personality and intellect, someone in a position of authority with a penchant for law and justice. A firm enemy and a firm friend. Judgment, authority, militant intelligence, law.
WANDS - QUESTING
Ace of Wands.
Creative birth. The promising new beginning of a project, idea, or adventure, a time of great action and energy. Impulse to do something new. Invention, enterprise.
2 of Wands.
Control. Domination, power, focused will. The ability to act in the world. Resolving conflicts to facilitate a new enterprise. Possibly a new partnership.
3 of Wands.
Work. Enterprise, effort, trade, commerce, business savvy. Power, independence, explorations and discovery. Barriers between people, possibility of sacrifice. Also possibility for success.
4 of Wands.
Celebration of accomplishment. Success, prosperity, peace. Sharing, loosely structured situations, people working together for a unified purpose. Possible romance.
5 Adversity of Wands.
Defeat. Impasse, strife, conflict. Competition and struggle in the search for riches and fortune. Using conflict to break down anything that is dull or limiting.
6 of Wands.
Victory. Good news, optimism, advancement. Success and recognition after hard work.
7 of Wands.
Competition. Business negotiation, war of trade. Futility, enemy may be beyond reach.
8 of Wands.
Swiftness in movement. Sudden action or progress. Great haste which may thwart advancement. Possible messages.
9 of Wands.
Defense. Strength in opposition. If attacked, will meet the onslaught boldly. A single action or piece of knowledge which changes a situation dramatically, possibly exposing hidden enemies or unseen influences. Results towards liberation. Possible delay, suspension, adjournment.
10 Completion of Wands.
Oppression. Being overburdened, excessive, trying to take on too much.
Princess/Page of Wands.
Eagerness for new projects, enthusiasm, creativity and energy. Forthright and positive person eager to contribute to the world around her. Innocence in sexuality.
Prince/Knight/Jack of Wands.
Someone courageous, idealistic, virtuous, who can be headstrong, refusing to compromise what he believes is right An energetic idealist who defines himself by his actions. Well-intentioned, although sometimes unreliable and inert, unready in action though kindly in thought.
Queen of Wands.
A person of life and animation. Like the king but more magnetic. Wonder, joy, someone positive and curious.
King of Wands.
A confident, creative entrepreneur with an eye for the arts. Someone of great confidence, satisfied with his life. Someone with a strong sense of art and beauty.
CUPS - PRIMORDIALISM
Ace of Cups.
Love in life and the home. Joy, contentment, nourishment, abundance. An important card, whose meaning is affected by its environment. Among hearts it implies love, friendship, and affection. With pentacles, money and news of distant friends. With swords, disagreements, misunderstandings, contention, and misfortune. Individually, it stands for the house.
2 of Cups.
Love in the union of Two. Passion, romance, friendship, interrelation of the sexes. A new relationship. Being in perfect harmony with yourself and the world. Balance.
Prosperity and success in a measure dependent on the surrounding cards.
3 of Cups.
Abundance. Friendship, deep connections, sharing, celebration.
4 of Cups.
Apathy. Discontent with ones environment, weariness, disgust, aversion, boredom, loss through inaction and passivity. Illusion of vexations, overblown sense of problems at hand. The inability to recognize kindness from others. Being too hard to please.
5 Adversity of Cups.
Loss. Disappointment, sorrow, regret in love or friendship.
6 of Cups.
Nostalgia. Memories, especially of childhood. Sentimentality, looking back, possible discovery about the past.
7 of Cups.
Debauched dream. Strange chalices of vision, things seen in the glass of contemplation. Reflection, contemplation, possible temptation. Fantasies, mystery, strange and captivating ideas. May also mean masking our true feelings, or self-deception.
8 of Cups.
Moving on. Loss, abandonment of joy. Painful now but may be for the better later.
9 of Cups.
Attainment. Success, happiness. Desire, beauty, sexual excitement or possibly the perfection of art. The wish card. It is the sign of riches, and of high social position accompanied by influence and esteem. It may be affected by the neighborhood of bad cards.
10 Completion of Cups.
Contentment. Satiety, happiness, love, inner peace. Lasting happiness, passion for life, bliss. A sign of good fortune. It contends bad cards and confirms good ones in its vicinity.
Princess/Page of Cups.
Someone imaginative, dreamy, reflective. Spending time allowing feelings, or fantasies, to flow into awareness, without judgment. Expressive and artistic. A message is on the way.
Prince/Knight/Jack of Cups.
A graceful but not warlike person, referring to the higher graces of the imagination. Approach, sometimes that of a messenger, of advances, propositions, invitations.
A dreamer, whose dreams conflict with the pressures and responsibilities of everyday life. An inconsistent lover, he may find it hard to fully join in a relationship
The cards on either side are indicative of the good or bad nature of its intentions.
Queen of Cups.
A beautiful, dreamy person who puts her visions into action. Wise, secretive, creative, intuitive. Someone able to love very intensely without losing his ir her sense of self. Honest, devoted, capable of deep love.
King of Cups.
A dreamer, someone with a deep inner life. He or she is very calm, but this may conceal more difficult emotions. A powerful, responsible person, perhaps a professor, boss, or cleric. Art and science aficionado, with generous tendencies. Good hearted person, with strong affections, emotional, and given to rash judgments, possessing more zeal than discretion.
PENTACLES - PATTERN
Ace of Pentacles.
Security, abundance, material pleasure, wealth. Prosperity, contentment. A fresh start, good news.
2 of Pentacles.
Balance. Duality. Exchange of energy, movement between different kinds of work. Weighing two choices, two situations, possible competition or conflict of interest. Possible recreation. News and messages in writing, a little wealth on the way.
3 of Pentacles.
Hard work with passion behind it. Skill, mastery, trade, craftsmanship. Success, artistic achievement.
4 of Pentacles.
Possession. Cleaving to that which one has, power derived from skill or possessions. Planting time for future harvests. Possible avarice, miserly tendencies.
5 Adversity of Pentacles.
Hardship. Material trouble, loss. Distress, disappointment, unexpected difficulties. Possible sickness.
6 of Pentacles.
Charity. Sharing, people helping each other, particularly against physical limitations. Receiving or giving help, kindness and generosity, working two ways. Presents, gifts.
7 of Pentacles.
Monetary altercation. Quarrel, potential failure. Flaws in material success. Immersing yourself in your work, reevaluation. A change in luck, based on the quality of work you've been putting into your projects.
8 of Pentacles.
Prudence. Work, employment, craftsmanship, skill in craft, business the arts. Learning. The beginning of a profitable undertaking or apprenticeship.
9 of Pentacles.
Gain. Abundance, accomplishment, discernment. A calm, accepting, unattached view of what the material world has to offer. Money spent freely, possibly foolishly. Being unattached to possessions. May mean messages, possible surprise regarding money.
10 Completion of Pentacles.
Wealth. Security in the home. A happy outcome, rewards and riches for your efforts. Completion.
Princess/Page of Pentacles.
A student. Fascination and curiosity about nature and the world. Scholarship, reflection, good news.
Prince/Knight/Jack of Pentacles.
Endurance. Reliability, patience, accepting responsibility, no matter how tedious. A slow but sure progression towards ones goals, and using ones full potential to reach them. Total dedication. Fighting on against enemies or a sequence of bad luck. Potential for the cause to be impossible or lost.
Queen of Pentacles.
A person deeply connected to nature. Practical, generous, and magnificent. Greatness of soul, serious cast of intelligence, and creative.
King of Pentacles.
Industry. An experienced, successful leader, a resourceful person of importance and substance. Someone successful, who will protect what he or she has. Intelligence, business, mathematical achievement.
