mercenary30
I just did this for the heck of it, and decided to post it. It is a start of something that I think would make a good introduction to modern day uses of tarot. What other ideas could be added or improvements would you like to see made to this?
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Tarot.
A deck of cards.
What can you do with them?
You can collect them. They are all in one form or another works of art. Many of the decks have some very powerful imagery that appeal to both the senses and the mind. It is not unheard of for people to go through a deck for the sole purpose of looking at the scenes depicted on the card just for the pure pleasure of the art.
Well, you can shuffle them. Riffle shuffle, scattered all over a flat surface and spread around, or even the overhand shuffle. As long as the deck is of a fairly normal size you can even perform other card tricks. Just don?t try any of these things with a limited edition Gilded.
You can also play games with them. There is the traditional game of tarot, although it has a number of various rules in different countries like France and Italy. You could even strip out cards to make it like a modern playing deck and play other card games just for the uniqueness of it.
You can study them. There is so much symbolism to be found in the cards, and then with all the different decks available with new and different symbols you could do this for a lifetime and not be finished. Then there is the study of the traditional meanings of the cards. As more and more people delve into the cards and document and pass on their interpretations this list of meanings grows. There are also the different associations between the cards that can be explored.
You can research the cards and their history. It has yet to be determined where the cards originated from. There is a definitive timeframe and locale for the earliest known historical tarots and documented references of the existence of the cards, but there are still the lingering ideas that the cards are older than that. There is also the more recent histories that hinge around cartomantic practices and who started that use. Then of course there are the current studies of the three main types of tarot in existence today, the Rider Waite deck and its clones, the Thoth deck, and the historical Tarot of Marseilles There are other deck types out there but these are the three main ones.
You can meditate on them. Just about any card that has a scene depicted upon it can be used as a catalyst for mental and spiritual exploration. Each card has a story to tell and a message to deliver those who venture into their realms.
The works, concepts, and depictions found within the cards can be utilized as an inspiration point for literature, music, lyrics, or any other artistic endeavor. They can also be an inspiration within your own life as the meanings as messages may resonate within the deeper portions of your being and bring about change.
You can associate them to other ideas and beliefs. There has been significant work been done in associating them with Kabala, Astrology, Numerology, Mythology, Feng Shui, Alchemy, and even the Christian Bible. There are also theme decks that try to associate traditional tarot meanings with various movies, stories and other genera.
You can read them and perform divination. This is done in so many ways and styles. Some prefer to use a list of traditional meaning for the cards, some have a formula to apply to derive a meaning, and others used a more intuitive method. After the cards are shuffled and the deck usually cut, then cards are pulled and placed into a spread. A spread is a pattern in which the cards are placed to give a definitive structure to the reading. Each position in the pattern will usually have a particular implication that in conjunction with the card in that position will help the seeker explore the possible answers to their question.
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Tarot.
A deck of cards.
What can you do with them?
You can collect them. They are all in one form or another works of art. Many of the decks have some very powerful imagery that appeal to both the senses and the mind. It is not unheard of for people to go through a deck for the sole purpose of looking at the scenes depicted on the card just for the pure pleasure of the art.
Well, you can shuffle them. Riffle shuffle, scattered all over a flat surface and spread around, or even the overhand shuffle. As long as the deck is of a fairly normal size you can even perform other card tricks. Just don?t try any of these things with a limited edition Gilded.
You can also play games with them. There is the traditional game of tarot, although it has a number of various rules in different countries like France and Italy. You could even strip out cards to make it like a modern playing deck and play other card games just for the uniqueness of it.
You can study them. There is so much symbolism to be found in the cards, and then with all the different decks available with new and different symbols you could do this for a lifetime and not be finished. Then there is the study of the traditional meanings of the cards. As more and more people delve into the cards and document and pass on their interpretations this list of meanings grows. There are also the different associations between the cards that can be explored.
You can research the cards and their history. It has yet to be determined where the cards originated from. There is a definitive timeframe and locale for the earliest known historical tarots and documented references of the existence of the cards, but there are still the lingering ideas that the cards are older than that. There is also the more recent histories that hinge around cartomantic practices and who started that use. Then of course there are the current studies of the three main types of tarot in existence today, the Rider Waite deck and its clones, the Thoth deck, and the historical Tarot of Marseilles There are other deck types out there but these are the three main ones.
You can meditate on them. Just about any card that has a scene depicted upon it can be used as a catalyst for mental and spiritual exploration. Each card has a story to tell and a message to deliver those who venture into their realms.
The works, concepts, and depictions found within the cards can be utilized as an inspiration point for literature, music, lyrics, or any other artistic endeavor. They can also be an inspiration within your own life as the meanings as messages may resonate within the deeper portions of your being and bring about change.
You can associate them to other ideas and beliefs. There has been significant work been done in associating them with Kabala, Astrology, Numerology, Mythology, Feng Shui, Alchemy, and even the Christian Bible. There are also theme decks that try to associate traditional tarot meanings with various movies, stories and other genera.
You can read them and perform divination. This is done in so many ways and styles. Some prefer to use a list of traditional meaning for the cards, some have a formula to apply to derive a meaning, and others used a more intuitive method. After the cards are shuffled and the deck usually cut, then cards are pulled and placed into a spread. A spread is a pattern in which the cards are placed to give a definitive structure to the reading. Each position in the pattern will usually have a particular implication that in conjunction with the card in that position will help the seeker explore the possible answers to their question.
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