Tarot kid said:
i was wondering if anyone know a way to learn the minor arcana easier than memorizing all the cards
I found a website a while back that described how to learn these..., I copy/pasted the steps into a notepad item, and have been scouring the internet trying to find the website from which it came, but to no avail...so I hope it is still okay to post.
I personally have not used this system, and though it seems extremely long....if you read it all the way through, it may make some sense to you (?).
Steps from Unknown Author...(although it does say "Easy Tarot" through out):
"Select the Aces and Key I (usually The Magician) from your Tarot deck and place these five cards in a row in front of you. You're going to do two things with these cards. The first thing is to define the Elements of these five cards. You can refer to the article referenced above to define these Elements. You can use any definition you want. Or, you can use the following definitions I'm going to use as an example for these lessons:
Swords = Air = Thoughts and ideas, Cups = Water = Relationships, Wands = Fire = Career and work, Pentacles = Earth = Financial affairs, and Spirit = Spiritual Path or the point which needs to be addressed on the client's spiritual path (or my path if I'm the client). I'll use these definitions for examples. You're free to use them or any other set of definitions you want to use.
My only suggestion regarding assigning meaning to the Elements, and thus to the suits, is to use one and only one key word, phrase or concept fore each card. The more meanings young assign to cards, especially in the beginning, the more confusing your readings will be. You won't know when to use that meaning with which card. By limiting yourself to one key word, phrase or concept, you eliminate this possibility.
It doesn't matter what key word, phrase or concept you decide to assign to each Element. What matters is that you define the Elements and assign some meaning to each one of them. It matters because whatever you decide will be shared with your subconscious mind and your subconscious mind will use those definitions as it selects the cards for you to do your readings. You won't be conscious of this process, but your subconscious mind knows what it's doing and it will always select the right card according to the definitions it thinks you're using at the time. So be specific. Let your subconscious mind know what meanings you assign to the five Elements and five suits of your deck.
The second thing you're going to do with these five cards is a assign a meaning to the number one. In the Easy Tarot we assign the first thing a child does, besides cry and eliminate waste, to the aces and Key One. Think about a child. What can a child do besides, eat, cry and eliminate waste? What's the first thing a child does?
The first thing a child does, and the first thing all of us do when we encounter a new situation is to pay attention to what's happening. We pay attention to become aware. We must be aware we can change something before we can change it. We must be aware we can do something before we can do it. We must be aware we can learn something before we can learn it.
To become aware, to pay attention is what the aces and magician are all about. The key phrase I assign to the Magician and four aces is to Pay Attention. Pay attention to your spiritual path (Key I). Pay attention to your thoughts and ideas (Ace Swords). Pay attention to your relationship or relationships (Ace Cups). Pay attention to your career (Ace Wands). Pay attention to you finances (Ace Pentacles). Pay attention. If two or more aces or one appear in your spread that means to really pay attention!
That's the first two steps: 1) define the Elements, and 2) define the number one.
Put those five cards aside and pick out the four twos and Key II from your deck. Place them in front of you in a row so you can see all five cards. Remember what definitions you assigned to the five Elements and suits. Aside from that, the only thing you need to do with these cards is to define the meaning of the number two.
In the Easy Tarot we assign the second thing a child learns to do to the High Priestess (or Key II) and the twos. It's the second thing we all do when we find ourselves in a strange situation. First we pay attention and then we remember what we did before in similar situations, we remember the people, places and things we've seen before. This act of remembering is the second thing we do.
The key word I assign to the High Priestess and four twos is Remember and the key phrase is Remember the past. Remember your spiritual path, the one you've already chosen (Spirit). Remember your thoughts and ideas (Air). Remember your relationship(s) (Water). Remember your career (Fire). Remember your finances (Earth). Remember the mistakes and the good times of the past. Remembering these things is important at this time.
As soon as you know the Keys I and II and the aces and twos, you may proceed to part two.
Select the five threes from your deck including Key III and spread them out in front of you. Review the meanings you've assigned to the five Elements. Consider the third thing a child does as it becomes aware of it's new world. Consider the third thing we all do when confronting a new situation. First we and the child pay attention and then we all remember something from our past that applies to the new situation.
The third thing a child does, and the third thing we all do in new circumstances is to imagine future possible outcomes based on our current situation. Imagining future outcomes is the third thing we learn to do as a child and it's the third thing we do in any new situation. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key phrase Imagine the Possibilities and the Key Word Imagination to the Empress (Key III) and the threes in the Tarot deck. Imagine the possibilities of your spiritual path, your finances, your career, your relationship and your thoughts and ideas. Decide what key word or phrase you want to use with the number three.
Set these five cards aside, select the five fours and place them in a row in front of you. The fourth thing a child does and the fourth thing we do when we're in a strange situation is reason things out for ourselves. We think things through for ourselves. This act of reasoning is the fourth mental skill we develop as a child. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key phrase Reason things out for yourself and the Key word Think! to The Emperor and the fours of our Tarot deck. Think about your spiritual path, your thoughts and ideas, your relationship, your career and your finances. Decide what key word or phrase you want to use with the number four.
Set these cards aside, select the five fives and place them in a row in front of you. The fifth thing a child does and the fifth thing we do in a strange situation is to rely on our intuitive insights. Intuition is the fifth mental skill we develop as a child. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key phrase Expect and Anticipate Intuitive Insights and the key word Intuition to the Hierophant and the fives of the Tarot deck. Use your intuition regarding your finances, your career, your relationship. your thoughts and ideas and your spiritual path. Decide what key word or phrase you want to use with the number five.
When you've learned Keys III, IV and V and the threes, fours and fives you're ready to start Part Three.
Select the sixes, sevens and eights from your Tarot deck including Keys VI, VII and VIII. Spread the sixes and Key Six out in front of you. Review the meanings you've assigned to the five Elements, the five suits.
The sixth mental skill a child develops after they pay attention, remember, imagine, reason, and intuit is their conscience, their ability to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad. This skill is called discrimination in alchemy and by the mystery schools. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key phrase of Listen to your conscience and the key word Discriminate to the sixes in the Tarot deck. Listen to your conscience regarding your spiritual path, regarding your finances, regarding your relationship, regarding your career and regarding your thoughts and ideas. decide what key work or phrase you want to use with the number six.
Set these cards aside and spread the sevens including Key VII before you. The last mental skill a child develops is the skill of being receptive. This is also the highest mental skill, of an adult. In the Easy tarot we use the key phrase Be receptive to Divine influence and the key word Be receptive to the sevens of the Tarot deck. Be receptive to Divine influence in your finances, your career, your relationship, your thoughts and ideas and your spiritual path. Decide what key word or phrase you want to use with the number seven. Set these cards aside.
This completes our discussion of childhood and basic mental skills. We now move into adolescence and the development of abstract thought. Before we can think in abstract terms we must have well-developed mental skills as outlined in the first seven numbers. Before we can think in higher spiritual terms we must develop our abstract thinking skills.
Spread the eights including Key VIII in front of you. We're going to consider first the possibility where Key Strength is the number eight as this is the most common assignment. This card tells us we have the inner strength to accomplish whatever we set our minds to accomplish. All we have to have is the intention to do it, the belief we can do it and the determination to do it. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key concept You have the inner strength to accomplish... and the key phrase You can do it to Key Eight as strength and the eights. You have the strength to follow your chosen spiritual path, to understand your own thoughts and ideas, to maintain this relationship, to advance in your career, to resolve your own financial affairs.
If Key VIII is Justice in your tarot deck wait for a couple of lessons to do the eights. Select the Pages and Key XI Strength and apply the above discussion to these cards instead of the eights. So instead of defining number 8, you'll be defining number 11 for this portion of the course. Please don't consider this incorrect or an inconvenience. It's just different because the author of your Tarot deck sees these energies differently than some other authors.
When you're ready, proceed to Step Four.
Select the nines, tens, pages and Keys IX, X and XI from your Tarot deck. Spread the five nines out in front of you. Review the definitions you've assigned to the five Elements and five suits. The second abstract skill we develop as an adolescent is the concept that other people are watching us and copying us and doing the things we do because we do them. They choose to do the things we do, to have the things we have, to mimic the way we do things. It's flattering, unsettling and embarrassing. The Hermit and the nines show others the way so they can follow us. The Easy Tarot assigns the key phrase Be a mentor and the key concept Let your light shine to the Hermit and the nines. Be a mentor to others with your spiritual path, your financial affairs, your career, your relationship and your thoughts and ideas. You'll need to decide what key word, phrase or concept you'll assign to number nine.
Set these cards aside and pick up the five tens. The third abstract skill we develop is the concept of what we do to others causes similar things to happen to us. We do receive what we give away. We are treated the way we treat others. What goes around, comes around. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key concept What you do is done to you and the key phrase You receive what you give to the tens and Key X, the World. You receive what you give on your spiritual path, in your career, in your relationship, in your financial affairs and with your thoughts and ideas. What goes round, comes round. You'll need to decide what key word, phrase or concept you want to assign to the number ten. Set these cards aside and pick up the pages and Key XI. If Key XI is Strength, set aside that key and the Pages as you've already assigned them to Inner Strength. Instead pick up Key VIII and the four eights and use them for this part of the lesson. The fourth abstract skill we develop is the concept that the Universe is unfailingly just in all things. We're not victims of circumstances. We are the builders of our own circumstances. It's not what happens to us that matters but how we handle what happens to us. Things are exactly as they are because that's the way things are supposed to be. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key concept Things are exactly the way they're supposed to be and the key phrase Unfailingly just to the pages and Key XI. Things are exactly as they're supposed to be with your finances, your career, your relationship, your thoughts and ideas and your spiritual path. You now have five key words, phrases or concepts for the five Elements. You've assigned one key word, phrase or concept to the Aces through Pages. You've defined fifty-five of your seventy-eight tarot cards and all you have to remember is a total of sixteen key words, phrases or concepts. Practice with these fifty-five cards this week so you firmly implant in your mind the key words, phrases or concepts you've chosen.
When you're ready, proceed to Step Five.
Select Keys XII, XIII XIV and the Knights, Queens and Kings from your tarot deck. Place the Knights and Key XII in front of you. Review the meanings you've assigned to the five Elements and the five suits.
The fifth abstract concept we develop is the concept that we can change our thinking completely around and still be ourselves. We grow up believing that what we think is right is right, and what we think is wrong is wrong. It's a sign of immaturity that we can't admit we could be wrong. It's a sign of maturity that not only can we admit we might be wrong, but we can change our thinking. In the Easy Tarot we assign the phrase and concept Change your thinking to Key XII and the Knights. Change your thinking about your finances, your career, your relationship, your thoughts and ideas (or your belief systems), and your spiritual path. Decide how you want to define the number twelve. Then put these cards aside and spread our the Queens with Key XIII.
The sixth abstract concept we develop is that not only can we change our thinking, we can change our behavior. The old behaviors die and new behaviors are born. We can change who and what we are. In the Easy Tarot we assign the phrase and concept Change your behavior to the Queens and Key XIII Death. You can change your behavior concerning your finances, your career, your relationship, your thoughts and ideas and your spiritual path. You'll need to decide how you want to define the number thirteen. Then place these cards aside and spread the Kings and Key XIV in front of you.
The seventh and final abstract concept we develop is that we can check into ourselves and verify that what we think, feel, intuit and do is what we really want to think, feel, intuit and do. In some mystery schools this is called Verification. In others it's called Being Prudent or Prudence. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key phrase and concept Verify this is what you want to Key XIV and the Kings. Verify your spiritual path is the one you want, that your career is the one you want, that this relationship is the one you want, that these financial affairs are what you want and what you think you want is really what you want. You'll need to define the number fourteen the way you want. Then set these cards aside.
In addition to whatever practices you're doing with your cards, you might want to consider practicing some one card readings for a number of questions. Phrase your questions to start with Who, What, When, Where. Which, Why, How, Is or Are, then draw one card to answer your question. For more information about one card tarot spreads check our short courses on this website.
You now have five key words, phrases or concepts for the five Elements. You've assigned one key word, phrase or concept to the Aces though the Kings and Keys I through XIV. You've defined seventy of your seventy-eight tarot cards and all you have to remember is a total of nineteen key words, phrases or concepts. Practice with these seventy cards this week so you firmly implant in your mind the key words, phrases or concepts you've chosen. When you're ready, proceed to Part Six.
Select Keys XV through XXI and Key Zero from your Tarot deck and lay them out in that sequence. We'll consider them in that order. These final eight cards in our Tarot deck describe our spiritual path and only our spiritual path. There are no cards from the Minor Arcana (Pip cards and Court Cards) assigned to these numbers. The first seven numbers are assigned to childhood, the second seven numbers to adolescence and the last seven cards to adulthood.
Key Fifteen depicts our willing bondage to the physical world of matter. It spans our attraction to matter all the way from complete addiction to the knowledge our bondage is completely voluntary. In my Gnostic tradition, we believe birth is a decision of our parents and ourselves. We decide to come into this physical reality to learn what we must learn. Some of us get really tied down to the physical reality, we become addicted to one thing or another. Some of us begin to see that this bondage is voluntary. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key words Bondage or Addiction to the number fifteen. We live in bondage to the world. We're addicted to the world. Either phrase works. Choose one or chose your own definition for the number fifteen.
Key Sixteen depicts a flash of insight as we awaken to our true being. In a moment we realize we're not our body, we're not our mind, we're not our emotions, we're not our desires, we're not our personality, we're a spiritual being. That moment defines our awakening to the true reality. We realize we're a spiritual being living in a dream world that looks and acts as if it's solid matter. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key words Awakening or Self-Realization to the number sixteen. We awaken to who and what we truly are. We become self-realized. Either phrase works. Choose one or choose your own definition for the number sixteen.
Key Seventeen depicts a dim light indicating we see the true reality but dimly. We know the truth but only partially. We only have an inkling of the true reality but it's more than we knew before we awakened. We walk under the Star of Hope, in the Starlight of Dark Illumination. The Starlight of Dark Illumination is overcome through contemplation and prayer. The Star of Hope is realized through meditation. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key concept of Seek more Light or the key word of Meditate to the number seventeen. We seek more light (knowledge) on our spiritual path or we meditate to advance on your spiritual path to attain the Star of Hope. Either concept works. Choose one or choose your own definition for the number seventeen.
Key Eighteen depicts a deceptive scene where we think we see things clearly but in the moonlight we really don't see things all that clearly some of the time. As the moon waxes and wanes our light shifts from almost darkness to almost light. Moon light is brighter than star light and we see more in the star light than we do in a flash of lightning. Improvement is obvious. In the Easy Tarot we use the key word of Deception or the key concept of Wavering between light and darkness for Key Eighteen. Either works. Choose one or choose your own definition for the number eighteen.
Key Nineteen depicts the happiness of Illumination under the light of the Sun. In esoteric circles the human Soul is considered to be as bright as the sun. In the Easy Tarot we assign the key word and concept of Soul-consciousness or Christ-consciousness or Buddha-consciousness to Key Nineteen. Any similar concept works. Your spiritual path is attaining Soul-consciousness in this particular cycle of your growth. Choose one or choose your own definition for the number nineteen.
Key Twenty depicts a rebirth into a different dimension, an rebirth of our conscious, subconscious and imaginative minds on a new level. This rebirth is an intermediary step between Soul-consciousness and God-consciousness. In the Easy Tarot we assign the concept of Rebirth or Born Again to Key Twenty. You've attained a rebirth in your spiritual path. You're born again into a new you. Either works. Choose one or choose your own definition for the number twenty.
Key Twenty-one depicts the dance of life and is a symbol of Cosmic Consciousness or God Consciousness. We've taken three major steps of Self-realization with Key XVI, Soul-realization with Key SIX and now God-realization with Key XXI. In the Easy tarot we assign the concept of God Consciousness or God-realization to Key Twenty-one. Either works. Choose one or choose the definition of your choice for the number twenty-one.
Key Zero depicts us as the Fool who has just made the decision to leave the World of the Unmanifest and manifest ourselves in the world of matter. In the Easy Tarot we consider this card as moving from the unmanifest to the manifest and assign that concept to Key Zero. Choose any concept you want to assign to Key Zero and the number zero."
If anyone knows the Author, please let me know, and I will add the reference, as I really would like to give credit...
Thank you nemodomi for providing the correct link to the author!!! Here is where this excerpt came from:
http://tarotinstitute.com/easy/all.html
Also in the past, I have shrunk it down and printed it out.