The tarot evolved from cards brought to Italy in the 1300's.
So... who cares? How does that affect me?
The problem with the tarot is that the centuries of lies, myths, and superstitions have done their best to destroy any factual evidence of the tarot's origins, and it is only recently that scientific analysis and the ease of long-distance communication among many sources throughout the world has shed light on what really happened long ago. We can now easily talk to someone on the other side of the world who has a scrap of information that acts like a missing puzzle piece in our quest to find out "the Truth" (note the capital "t").
This may seem basic, but this instant information age we live in is only a decade or so old. Even now many are only slowly coming to the internet, even as the web is 18 years old. Stepping back to the 1960's when all we had were phone lines and snail mail, or worse, in the 1700's, 1800's and early 1900's when we had things like horses and ships to carry mail, there was little to no chance of assembling all of the parts of history together on ANY arcane subject with any great accuracy. Try as we might, the facts were simply too diverse, too widely scattered for us to understand how things originated without being served large doses of opinion, superstition, and outright misinformation. Simply put: for the longest time (literally "centuries") people believed in all kinds of garbage we laugh at today. Unfortunately their beliefs about the tarot are resurging in popularity as more and more faux authors and faux tarot scholars discover the ease and lack of expense in reprinting public domain texts. These "wannabe authorities" print the lies and mistakes people made throughout history in an attempt to make easy money and get laid at cocktail parties.
All of that nonsense stops here (and I will name names--some of them QUITE FAMOUS if I have to). The reason we learn tarot history, even a little, is to protect us from the mistakes, lies, and superstitions of idiots and those too lazy to do any level of actual research. If you are assaulted by an angry xian who says that the tarot is demonic (because they think so--and thus they know more than "God") you can reply that the Church NEVER had any problem with the tarot, and that there is more Christian iconography in the tarot than there are in any other card decks in the world. In fact, there are several flavors of Christian tarot, from saints, to angels, to Jesus decks. But you have to do a little research to know this.
Similarly, if someone tells you that the tarot came from Babylon, Egypt, or Greece, and you have not done ANY research, you will get sucked into the beliefs that the tarot came from Atlantis, and that hieroglyphs are coded tarot messages. This may not sound like much of a damper to your abilities, but when you start trying to force the tarot images into meanings that have nothing to do with their design, you will join the millions of people who have fought and lost the battle of mastering the tarot. This problem has been going on throughout the centuries as people try to make the tarot "cool" by adding useless information to it. Simply by knowing where the tarot came from (um... Italy, then Switzerland, Spain, and France) you can easily understand why the images are there and what they mean. The images of the tarot are simply a reflection of life during that time period. In order to read the cards accurately we must transpose new understandings ("technology," and social advancements such as Democracy) over the archaic images of feudal lords and peasants with barbaric technology.
I cannot strongly enough recommend Robert Place's book on the subject. It is that good--and it is a quick read. It reveals the scoundrels and some of the thieves in the tarot, the historians who tried, and failed, to find the true history of the cards, and how the cards evolved from dice rolls. I don't run around recommending tarot books, so I do hope you will try this one out. At least read the free parts on Amazon and decide for yourself:
The Tarot: History, Symbolism, and Divination
A simple perusal of the tarot's evolution will show you WHY we have the meanings we do today, and how the order of the cards has changed several times, meanings have been purposely altered on the whim of one man's ego and another man's zealotry. Knowing these things deepens your relationship with the cards. It makes you see them for what they are, and not as some "mysterious oracle" the aliens gave us.
Trust me--I do this for a living. And my only concern is to scrub the crap out your head that people keep piling on.
Okay, thanks for reading. More later
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
Monday, February 20, 2012
Fun new tarot game! (helps you LEARN)
I have been working on several new tarot games that make learning the tarot fun. I want to post an easy one here. I hope you will incorporate this into your practice with the tarot, as it will build your skills very fast on several levels. It is not enough to know the meanings of the cards. It is essential to know how cards interact with each other in spreads and how the circumstance and question involved shape the meanings of each card.
These easy games will help you do exactly that. Let's start out with one that you can practice alone, or play with friends. If I get enough comments I will make it a priority to post the rest of the games here as well. As always, these are based on the information in my book The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot--EVER!! if you have any questions on that.
This game is called "Friends and Enemies."
This game is super-easy, but it takes a little thinking. The purpose of this game is to remember the images of the cards and to compare and contrast cards. All you have to do is pick a random card from your deck. If you are a new student, or at the beginning of your tarot journey, you may find this game easier if you just work with the "minor" Arcana for now.
The first variation of this game is called "Friends" (or Who likes me?)
Look at the image on the card. Get a feel of what is happening in the picture. Are people fighting? Are they being friendly to each other? Maybe they are alone and lost in thought . . . Just enjoy getting inside the picture as if it is happening right outside your window.
Now try to match it up with any other card in your deck. Find the card that (you think) best matches it in meaning or general similarity (example, the 3 of Swords and the 9 of Swords both indicate despair, or great disappointment/sadness; whereas the 3 of Cups and the 4 of Wands show people having fun, celebrating; also the 7 of Coins and the 9 of Coins show people on a farm or vineyard). That's it! Work through the deck until you run out of matches and start again.
If you this variation gets too easy try "Enemies," where you try to find cards that have either the exact opposite meaning or are completely incompatible (like the 3 of Swords and the 3 of Cups).
It helps to lay out all of the cards in rows on a table, or even the floor, so you can quickly look over all of the cards, rather than thumbing through your deck, one card at a time. Full rules for the game will appear in the forthcoming book Advanced Tarot Secrets, but for now that is enough to get your practicing and having fun.
Here are a few examples:
Card one: The Star (Who likes me?)
Card two: The World (reasoning: Both have naked women--OR--they are both happy fun cards whose meaning is ridiculously positive)
Card one: The Magician (Who likes me?)
Card two: The Chariot (reasoning: Both cards are autonomous. They both hate to be told what to do and like to be in charge of their domain--OR--They are both alpha males)
Card one: 9 of Swords (Who likes me?)
Card two: The 4 of Swords (reasoning: They both have people in bed--kinda)--OR--The 5 of Coins (reasoning: Misery loves company)
See? Easy!
Please let me know what YOU think.
These easy games will help you do exactly that. Let's start out with one that you can practice alone, or play with friends. If I get enough comments I will make it a priority to post the rest of the games here as well. As always, these are based on the information in my book The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot--EVER!! if you have any questions on that.
This game is called "Friends and Enemies."
This game is super-easy, but it takes a little thinking. The purpose of this game is to remember the images of the cards and to compare and contrast cards. All you have to do is pick a random card from your deck. If you are a new student, or at the beginning of your tarot journey, you may find this game easier if you just work with the "minor" Arcana for now.
The first variation of this game is called "Friends" (or Who likes me?)
Look at the image on the card. Get a feel of what is happening in the picture. Are people fighting? Are they being friendly to each other? Maybe they are alone and lost in thought . . . Just enjoy getting inside the picture as if it is happening right outside your window.
Now try to match it up with any other card in your deck. Find the card that (you think) best matches it in meaning or general similarity (example, the 3 of Swords and the 9 of Swords both indicate despair, or great disappointment/sadness; whereas the 3 of Cups and the 4 of Wands show people having fun, celebrating; also the 7 of Coins and the 9 of Coins show people on a farm or vineyard). That's it! Work through the deck until you run out of matches and start again.
If you this variation gets too easy try "Enemies," where you try to find cards that have either the exact opposite meaning or are completely incompatible (like the 3 of Swords and the 3 of Cups).
It helps to lay out all of the cards in rows on a table, or even the floor, so you can quickly look over all of the cards, rather than thumbing through your deck, one card at a time. Full rules for the game will appear in the forthcoming book Advanced Tarot Secrets, but for now that is enough to get your practicing and having fun.
Here are a few examples:
Card one: The Star (Who likes me?)
Card two: The World (reasoning: Both have naked women--OR--they are both happy fun cards whose meaning is ridiculously positive)
Card one: The Magician (Who likes me?)
Card two: The Chariot (reasoning: Both cards are autonomous. They both hate to be told what to do and like to be in charge of their domain--OR--They are both alpha males)
Card one: 9 of Swords (Who likes me?)
Card two: The 4 of Swords (reasoning: They both have people in bed--kinda)--OR--The 5 of Coins (reasoning: Misery loves company)
See? Easy!
Please let me know what YOU think.
Friday, February 3, 2012
100% free tarot lessons (from the experts)
Hey, just in case you didn't know (because I keep forgetting to put the links up here), we have a free tarot course. This is a unique course where you will learn things you just can't find anywhere else--or else I wouldn't waste my time writing them out or recording them in podcasts. If you want to really learn the tarot, you need to do this--and it is free.
Can you buy the book? Yeah, if you want to, but the course is free if you have an aversion to spending money--and it proves how much I love you (we give you REAL instruction--not sales pitches). So:
Just a quick head's up. The new tarot podcast is already up but I have been waiting on an interview with the video tarot course lady to put out the new set of lessons. I may have to interview someone else if she takes much longer. If you have not signed up for the free tarot podcast, article and blog lessons, and eventual tarot videos (all of this is free) please do so at: www.easytarotlessons.com. This is my preferred format to help all of you learn faster.
If you have signed up, the new newsletter will be arriving shortly. In the meantime here are links top the first four. All of them are packed solid with tarot instruction you simply will not find anywhere on the planet:
http://easytarotlessons.com/easy_tarot_newsletter/easy_tarot_lessons_-01.html
http://easytarotlessons.com/easy_tarot_newsletter/easy_tarot_lessons_-02.html
http://easytarotlessons.com/easy_tarot_newsletter/easy_tarot_lessons_-03.html
http://easytarotlessons.com/easy_tarot_newsletter/easy_tarot_lessons_-04.html
http://easytarotlessons.com/easy_tarot_newsletter/easy_tarot_lessons_-05.html
Again, thanks for being here. If you need ADDITIONAL help I do teach "one-on-one" for $25 a week. Details are here: http://easytarotlessons.com/tarot_training_from_experts.html
It helps me pay the rent, and I really do cram your head full of tarot goodness, but I would not recommend you take a private lesson until you have the book. This way we don't spend your lesson covering things you can learn from the book--we can instead really get you learning the fun stuff.
If you have not seen the testimonials you will be blown away. My ONLY goal is to cram your skull full of high-value tarot information. But never stop learning and practicing. And don't forget that we have new tarot games in the forums--these make learning the tarot fun!
Hey, thanks for reading. I will post a new blog lesson soon. The new deck, and my apprentices, are eating up all of my time right now.
Sunday, December 18, 2011
How to get your cards to talk to you (effectively & in plain words)
Three easy lessons here: three easy exercises. These are each designed to help you develop your dialog with the cards instead of being forced to memorize keywords and phrases, or see them as some spooky coded message. They are, after all, only scraps of paper with printing on them. Get any of that "mysterious tarot" crap out of your head. YOU are the mysterious being scientists are still trying to figure out (they should use astrology — much easier that way). The tarot — or any oracle deck for that matter — is only a VISUAL TOOL to stimulate the psychic processes inside you. Leave all of the superstition to movie directors and people who come to you for a reading. It may feel like I am robbing you of the romance of the tarot, but trust me — when you can see the distant past and future ACCURATELY, there will be enough romance of the tarot to go around. Superstition only clouds your perception and distorts the translation of psychic impulse to cognitive awareness. You will learn this sooner or later; best learn it now (free). So here are three fun exercises I would like you to do over the next few weeks. You can do them anywhere, but having a deck on hand really helps. If you have taped up your deck (like I tell you to in The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot— EVER!!) this will help with the first two exercises.
Noun: Simply think up a noun (person, place, or thing — event, location . . . ) and pick a card out of your deck to represent that. Give yourself no more than five seconds to do this, fifteen if you get stuck. It is important not to over-analyze this or get too picky about which card is "most exact." When you are reading for people ("in the real world" not in practice or tarot school) you will find that the cards have to have several variations of meaning. They cannot possibly be accurate if they only have 78 meanings (or 156 if you count reversals). Keywords and phrases don't work. They limit your thinking and they are a barbaric way of teaching the tarot. While it is best to study the traditional meanings of the tarot so you know what the artist who designed your deck was intending, and what people have figured out over the years, do not buy into any of the add-ons to the tarot taht just don't resonate with you. The most important meaning any card can have is the one that is right in front of you — right now. You will see this in real life readings. These exercises help you loosen up your attitude on the cards and free them to speak candidly with you, not stilted, and in only formal terms.
Always remember: divining the future is not a "logic-based" activity or we could just have computers predict for us — and don't think corporations don't spend billions of dollars trying. To correctly divine the future we must interpret the visions, symbols, and impulses correctly. We can't do that if we limit the vocabulary that we allow our tools to use when they speak to us.
Here is an example of how to do this exercise. I will give you a noun: "Taxi cab, or taxi driver."
Now I want you to go through the deck and pick out a card that represents that (occupation or physical object). When I pose this to my students, 99% of the time they say, "The Chariot." This is a good card, but I correct them that this is more weighty, more like an airline pilot or a bus driver, as The Chariot implies autonomy, authority, responsibility, and it may mean many other occupations.
But specifically the 6 of Swords (at least in W/S symbolism) shows us a man in a gondola ferrying across his charge. This may be the husband or a professional gondolier. If a taxi driver or chauffer came to you for a reading this would make a good significator card, or if it came up in a job spread it would be a good indicator of being someone who transports people around for money. Given that The Chariot is more bold and authoritative, that card may be more suited for a white collar job or even a military career by comparison.
These are just guidelines, not facts cast in stone.
Another example: Noun . . . Church, or temple. Well, without even having to put any thought into it three cards come to mind: the chapel in the 4 of Swords, the arch in the 3 of Coins (Pentacles), and the stained glass window set into the wall of the 5 of Swords.
Any of these would be a good "instant answer." Each card has its nuances, the 4 of Swords could also serv as a museum card or a funeral home. It is all about picking a simple common noun and assigning a card to it without adding any stress to your life.
This exercises teaches you to see the cards from a slightly different perspective and relax your mind, remove a lot of the superstition that people like to pile on tarot cards. It makes you a better reader fast because it helps the cards speak to you. If you have a tarot buddy you can do this as a simple game: One person says a noun and the other goes through the deck and comes up with a card. If you have the cards spread out the process goes much faster.
Verb: This is the same exercise but with an action. Let's say you open the fridge and discover you are out of milk. So you run to the store to get some. This is a simple daily action; no big deal. So let's pick a rather unobtrusive "minor" Arcana card to represent this action. How about the 8 of Cups? He threw on a cloak (jacket) and is headed off to the corner store. There is no reason he "has to be" abandoning his home and happiness, the crescent moon showing the emptiness he feels and the full moon showing his desire for fulfillment. You have heard me say this before, but I would have drawn the crescent moon, as a reflection of the full moon, in the water. Much more symbologically correct.
So "Verb" can simply be anything you do throughout the day: eating dinner. Why not any of the Cups cards? (2, 3, 4, Page, and so on. . .) Each card might signify drinking versus eating, or being full/not wanting seconds (4), overindulging (3?), maybe a buffet (7), or even the 4 of Wands. If you do not like these cards when you should find a card that say "eating diner" to you. Because if you cannot pull a card that say "eating dinner" you cannot read the tarot. The tarot, as a system, must be able to describe ANY EVENT OR ACTION in life or it is a flawed system. It is not about ambiguities or vague notions. It points you in the direction of an answer as clearly as the 78 illustrations will allow (in singletons or card combinations) and your mind must tie the impulse you receive as a result to the real life situation at hand.
A word here: The cards do not spell out events and situations. This is a common misconception among tarot authors and casual students alike. Tarot cards ONLY "speak" to you. They are a visual alphabet that triggers your mind to realize the link between their image and the issue at hand. ALL of the magic happens inside you. The cards must be properly placed in a spread to give you valid answers: you can't just pick cards at random without tuning in and getting the order delivered to you (shuffle, cast). But the actual reading part is not the cards telling you something. They are only sparking impulses in your mind to create the chain of though that leads you to the answer. Without your skills and talent (learned and natural abilities) they are rather useless.
Also while you are sitting in front of the TV . . .
Simply watch life happen. This is easiest if you are watching the news, because the news (reports of daily events) is so chaotic. you never know what's coming up. When the reporter says something that sparks that interest in your head simply draw a card and glance at it. Do not put any weight or validation to this card. Just see what comes up. Here we are training you to "hear" (physically and psychically) that "ding" inside your head that something was said of importance, or that someone just lied, or there is some reason that bit of information needs to be fleshed out. In comic book terms we are developing your "Spidey sense." This is a very real teaching we use in mystery schools. Do this, as basic as it sounds. Practice it for years and you will develop a BS detector that stuns people when they discover you have this talent. Eventually you will no longer need the cards.
Okay, more? Get over to EasyTarotLessons.com and sign up for our free newsletter. Get the hidden lessons (free — always free) and keep updated on the now information posted. The newsletter comes out roughly 3-4 times a month and you can unsubscribe at any time with no hassle.
Thanks for reading.
Feed Shark code: Hostgator promos
Noun: Simply think up a noun (person, place, or thing — event, location . . . ) and pick a card out of your deck to represent that. Give yourself no more than five seconds to do this, fifteen if you get stuck. It is important not to over-analyze this or get too picky about which card is "most exact." When you are reading for people ("in the real world" not in practice or tarot school) you will find that the cards have to have several variations of meaning. They cannot possibly be accurate if they only have 78 meanings (or 156 if you count reversals). Keywords and phrases don't work. They limit your thinking and they are a barbaric way of teaching the tarot. While it is best to study the traditional meanings of the tarot so you know what the artist who designed your deck was intending, and what people have figured out over the years, do not buy into any of the add-ons to the tarot taht just don't resonate with you. The most important meaning any card can have is the one that is right in front of you — right now. You will see this in real life readings. These exercises help you loosen up your attitude on the cards and free them to speak candidly with you, not stilted, and in only formal terms.
Always remember: divining the future is not a "logic-based" activity or we could just have computers predict for us — and don't think corporations don't spend billions of dollars trying. To correctly divine the future we must interpret the visions, symbols, and impulses correctly. We can't do that if we limit the vocabulary that we allow our tools to use when they speak to us.
Here is an example of how to do this exercise. I will give you a noun: "Taxi cab, or taxi driver."
Now I want you to go through the deck and pick out a card that represents that (occupation or physical object). When I pose this to my students, 99% of the time they say, "The Chariot." This is a good card, but I correct them that this is more weighty, more like an airline pilot or a bus driver, as The Chariot implies autonomy, authority, responsibility, and it may mean many other occupations.
But specifically the 6 of Swords (at least in W/S symbolism) shows us a man in a gondola ferrying across his charge. This may be the husband or a professional gondolier. If a taxi driver or chauffer came to you for a reading this would make a good significator card, or if it came up in a job spread it would be a good indicator of being someone who transports people around for money. Given that The Chariot is more bold and authoritative, that card may be more suited for a white collar job or even a military career by comparison.
These are just guidelines, not facts cast in stone.
Another example: Noun . . . Church, or temple. Well, without even having to put any thought into it three cards come to mind: the chapel in the 4 of Swords, the arch in the 3 of Coins (Pentacles), and the stained glass window set into the wall of the 5 of Swords.
Any of these would be a good "instant answer." Each card has its nuances, the 4 of Swords could also serv as a museum card or a funeral home. It is all about picking a simple common noun and assigning a card to it without adding any stress to your life.
This exercises teaches you to see the cards from a slightly different perspective and relax your mind, remove a lot of the superstition that people like to pile on tarot cards. It makes you a better reader fast because it helps the cards speak to you. If you have a tarot buddy you can do this as a simple game: One person says a noun and the other goes through the deck and comes up with a card. If you have the cards spread out the process goes much faster.
Verb: This is the same exercise but with an action. Let's say you open the fridge and discover you are out of milk. So you run to the store to get some. This is a simple daily action; no big deal. So let's pick a rather unobtrusive "minor" Arcana card to represent this action. How about the 8 of Cups? He threw on a cloak (jacket) and is headed off to the corner store. There is no reason he "has to be" abandoning his home and happiness, the crescent moon showing the emptiness he feels and the full moon showing his desire for fulfillment. You have heard me say this before, but I would have drawn the crescent moon, as a reflection of the full moon, in the water. Much more symbologically correct.
So "Verb" can simply be anything you do throughout the day: eating dinner. Why not any of the Cups cards? (2, 3, 4, Page, and so on. . .) Each card might signify drinking versus eating, or being full/not wanting seconds (4), overindulging (3?), maybe a buffet (7), or even the 4 of Wands. If you do not like these cards when you should find a card that say "eating diner" to you. Because if you cannot pull a card that say "eating dinner" you cannot read the tarot. The tarot, as a system, must be able to describe ANY EVENT OR ACTION in life or it is a flawed system. It is not about ambiguities or vague notions. It points you in the direction of an answer as clearly as the 78 illustrations will allow (in singletons or card combinations) and your mind must tie the impulse you receive as a result to the real life situation at hand.
A word here: The cards do not spell out events and situations. This is a common misconception among tarot authors and casual students alike. Tarot cards ONLY "speak" to you. They are a visual alphabet that triggers your mind to realize the link between their image and the issue at hand. ALL of the magic happens inside you. The cards must be properly placed in a spread to give you valid answers: you can't just pick cards at random without tuning in and getting the order delivered to you (shuffle, cast). But the actual reading part is not the cards telling you something. They are only sparking impulses in your mind to create the chain of though that leads you to the answer. Without your skills and talent (learned and natural abilities) they are rather useless.
Also while you are sitting in front of the TV . . .
Simply watch life happen. This is easiest if you are watching the news, because the news (reports of daily events) is so chaotic. you never know what's coming up. When the reporter says something that sparks that interest in your head simply draw a card and glance at it. Do not put any weight or validation to this card. Just see what comes up. Here we are training you to "hear" (physically and psychically) that "ding" inside your head that something was said of importance, or that someone just lied, or there is some reason that bit of information needs to be fleshed out. In comic book terms we are developing your "Spidey sense." This is a very real teaching we use in mystery schools. Do this, as basic as it sounds. Practice it for years and you will develop a BS detector that stuns people when they discover you have this talent. Eventually you will no longer need the cards.
Okay, more? Get over to EasyTarotLessons.com and sign up for our free newsletter. Get the hidden lessons (free — always free) and keep updated on the now information posted. The newsletter comes out roughly 3-4 times a month and you can unsubscribe at any time with no hassle.
Thanks for reading.
Feed Shark code: Hostgator promos
Thursday, December 8, 2011
Did you know . . .
. . . that in 1701, 80 years before the lie originated that "the tarot came from Egypt"—or had ANY connection or it at all—there were so many variations of card designs in France that they actually had to pass a law "standardizing" what images were to be allowed on tarot cards?
The tarot has always been a trump-game, and at times so popular, with so many artists and card makers trying to place their own version of it in the forefront of popular society that there were literally hundreds of different images. Large variations, small variations . . . all based on the whim and whimsy of the card manufacturer's in-house artist(s). The government had to step in and say, "enough is enough!" The tarot we have today is in large part based on the Tarot de Marseille, but even that was a deck that was manufactured in several parts of Europe and may have had its own variations due to local artist influence, skill, and design preferences of the region.
Think about this the next time someone tries to con you into believing that the images on the tarot are anything other than government/mega-church influenced images. The "spiritual symbolism" and "journey of the fool" is a nice bedtime story but it is less true mystery school doctrine than it is wishful thinking mixed with government/religious propaganda of the 18th century.
Oh, believe what you will, but here is some nice proof of my assertions in brief. (http://i-p-c-s.org) A little valid research will prove even more. I don't say these things to be a curmudgeon (I am still a bit young to be one of those anyway, but I like the term). I do decry bullshit though, especially that which authors attempt to make vast amounts of money on. History will prove them fools and charlatans (and how out of date is THAT word?) but for now as long as they can pay their rents selling snake oil I suppose there will be people who believe anything.
Learn the tarot. Read the tarot. Develop your skills, but please; don't buy into the hype-machine that the tarot is anything more than it is: a fun game that over time has become a fun divination tool. One of many to be certain, but a rather good one given how many minds have gone into making it so. And always remember, no matter where the tarot came from what matters more than any thing else is that it works for you. Better to spend your time practicing with it to develop your psychic abilities (which we all have, but in slightly different strengths ;-) than to spend too much time trying to make it any more mystical than it is. It is only a deck of cards after all.
The tarot has always been a trump-game, and at times so popular, with so many artists and card makers trying to place their own version of it in the forefront of popular society that there were literally hundreds of different images. Large variations, small variations . . . all based on the whim and whimsy of the card manufacturer's in-house artist(s). The government had to step in and say, "enough is enough!" The tarot we have today is in large part based on the Tarot de Marseille, but even that was a deck that was manufactured in several parts of Europe and may have had its own variations due to local artist influence, skill, and design preferences of the region.
Think about this the next time someone tries to con you into believing that the images on the tarot are anything other than government/mega-church influenced images. The "spiritual symbolism" and "journey of the fool" is a nice bedtime story but it is less true mystery school doctrine than it is wishful thinking mixed with government/religious propaganda of the 18th century.
Oh, believe what you will, but here is some nice proof of my assertions in brief. (http://i-p-c-s.org) A little valid research will prove even more. I don't say these things to be a curmudgeon (I am still a bit young to be one of those anyway, but I like the term). I do decry bullshit though, especially that which authors attempt to make vast amounts of money on. History will prove them fools and charlatans (and how out of date is THAT word?) but for now as long as they can pay their rents selling snake oil I suppose there will be people who believe anything.
Learn the tarot. Read the tarot. Develop your skills, but please; don't buy into the hype-machine that the tarot is anything more than it is: a fun game that over time has become a fun divination tool. One of many to be certain, but a rather good one given how many minds have gone into making it so. And always remember, no matter where the tarot came from what matters more than any thing else is that it works for you. Better to spend your time practicing with it to develop your psychic abilities (which we all have, but in slightly different strengths ;-) than to spend too much time trying to make it any more mystical than it is. It is only a deck of cards after all.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Quick disclaimer (please take a moment to read)
Hey kids
I was just watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone (the Rod Serling TV series from the '60's—hmmm . . . is it time to start calling it the "1960's" yet? After all we are in a new century and who knows how long this post will be up). Anyway, if you are not familiar with it, The Twilight Zone (that is a link to Youtube) was not for everyone. It is an all-time classic now, but it was definitely a niche show, and that is the point of this post. I want all of you to become Twilight Zones.
I have spent my life examining the world from a philosophical view; it is simply in my blood, who I am. I have studied magic, divination, religion, and philosophy since first awareness. Sometimes I wished I would have studied high finance, or how to become a celebrity—those paths seem to be more physically rewarding. I see things differently than most people it seems. I am adamant on things like truth in metaphysics and the destruction of superstition and lies perpetuated through the generations to make way for real truth and workable magic that gets you results you can see, touch, taste, and feel. This puts me at odds with many "experts" (and pseudo-experts) in the fields of metaphysics and divination. I am a niche in a sense, and I know I am "not for everyone." Many people desperately want to cling to fantasy and try to make it their reality, even if at the end of their lives they fail miserably. I simply cannot do that. I must find answers that work, are repeatable, and can be passed on to future generations.
So you will read here, and in my books, on my websites, and hear in my audio lessons and interviews, more than my opinions. You will be subjected to my philosophy on magic and divination and philosophy, even as I try to remain objective and allow everyone to believe whatever it is that makes them happy. I do not apologize for this and I don't want you to ever apologize for what you believe in, as long as it works for you and creates real, tangible results you can see, touch, taste, and feel. It is my "job" in life, my mission to help you evolve, even beyond what I have been capable of. I am here to help as much as I can for as long as I can, and then I will be somewhere else, learning and doing, and hopefully helping out.
In the course of all of this I will present the viewpoints of others: students, experts, artists, teachers, and authors. I may present points I strongly disagree with but see as valid enough that you should be exposed to them. Other times, like my previous post about the Joker in playing cards, I will refute lies and misinformation that is poisoning the well of current accepted knowledge. I will leave it up to you to do even a little research to verify that what I say is true, or if you do deep research and find I am wrong on anything I am eager to see proof where I have erred so that I may correct it.
I want you to stretch yourself beyond your perceived limitations and grow to your fullest extent, to find the lasting happiness so many seek (and often fail to attain). This blog, and the associated websites and books are on the subject of tarot, but other times we will explore astrology, energy work, manifestation, confidence, popularity, and prosperity. It is my belief that to find happiness you must find a balance of responsibility which creates self-worth, pleasure, and evolution, so that you overcome obstacles that plague so many in this world.
Now, on a side note, given the basic capitalistic state of affairs our global society runs on, we all need to pay the rent. I can pay the rent by working a mundane job that has nothing to do with helping people, and squeeze in a few hours a week doing the great work or I can pay my bills by working full time to help as many of you as I can. I choose the latter. To this extent I will occasionally point you to products and services you may benefit from. I will never suggest anything that I have found to be a scam, or questionable. If I suggest an author whose views I personally disagree with and have a link to their products or services I may make that link an affiliate link, meaning that if you decide to try their style of teaching I may get a tiny commission of the sale. I want to make sure this is clear as I believe in transparency. I am not here to sell you products. I am here to help, and in that process things like books, videos, seminars, and so on may cost money. That is the way of life. Until health care is free (don't hold your breath on that ever happening) and my mechanic fixes my car for free, food being free, rent being free, and of course my internet connection :-) . . . I think you get the idea. Until all of that happens it is natural that we all must find a way to earn money to survive and thrive.
It is not for me to tell you how to live your life but I hope you will provide real value to the world around you and know the labor and psychic expenditure you put forth has value. I want you to be the best readers the world has ever seen, unconstrained by false beliefs and ludicrous superstitions that hold so many back. I want people to value you, and the gifts you give to them. I am here. I am me, and not much else. I make no claims of supernatural powers. In fact all of us have abilities others would find amazing if we only knew ourselves and honed those abilities.
Find yourself. I can help you do this. Any competent astrologer can help you find your special psychic powers. But find them. Train yourself, even if "you have no time," because time is the only thing you truly own. We all make "deals with the devil" meaning that we all trade our time for work, family, or whatever responsibilities that demand we sacrifice our dreams and goals to the realities of the life we choose. We all have obligations and distractions. But make some time for yourself and find out who you are. Let me help, or get someone who will. No matter what your religious views are knowing yourself is paramount to success and happiness, and will cut years off of your attempts to find happiness. Knowing who you are tells you what you want and like.
This life, whether a one-shot deal, or one of many, is the only life you have right now. It is the only one that counts. Make something of it. Make yourself happy and bring value to the world by being that amazing super-human who lives inside you. Pick one thing and perfect it. Become a niche. You may "not be for everyone." No one is. That is the problem with religion; there simply is no "one size fits all" and the more we try to force our beliefs on others the more we are like a shoe salesman who tries to sell everyone the same exact shoe—one pair; forever. No choices but this shoe. Take the time to be you, and I will be me. I hope to god we can all find a way to get along. But until then just be you and I will try to understand and help you along. I hope you will do the same for others, even when we disagree.
Thanks for reading.
I was just watching an old episode of the Twilight Zone (the Rod Serling TV series from the '60's—hmmm . . . is it time to start calling it the "1960's" yet? After all we are in a new century and who knows how long this post will be up). Anyway, if you are not familiar with it, The Twilight Zone (that is a link to Youtube) was not for everyone. It is an all-time classic now, but it was definitely a niche show, and that is the point of this post. I want all of you to become Twilight Zones.
I have spent my life examining the world from a philosophical view; it is simply in my blood, who I am. I have studied magic, divination, religion, and philosophy since first awareness. Sometimes I wished I would have studied high finance, or how to become a celebrity—those paths seem to be more physically rewarding. I see things differently than most people it seems. I am adamant on things like truth in metaphysics and the destruction of superstition and lies perpetuated through the generations to make way for real truth and workable magic that gets you results you can see, touch, taste, and feel. This puts me at odds with many "experts" (and pseudo-experts) in the fields of metaphysics and divination. I am a niche in a sense, and I know I am "not for everyone." Many people desperately want to cling to fantasy and try to make it their reality, even if at the end of their lives they fail miserably. I simply cannot do that. I must find answers that work, are repeatable, and can be passed on to future generations.
So you will read here, and in my books, on my websites, and hear in my audio lessons and interviews, more than my opinions. You will be subjected to my philosophy on magic and divination and philosophy, even as I try to remain objective and allow everyone to believe whatever it is that makes them happy. I do not apologize for this and I don't want you to ever apologize for what you believe in, as long as it works for you and creates real, tangible results you can see, touch, taste, and feel. It is my "job" in life, my mission to help you evolve, even beyond what I have been capable of. I am here to help as much as I can for as long as I can, and then I will be somewhere else, learning and doing, and hopefully helping out.
In the course of all of this I will present the viewpoints of others: students, experts, artists, teachers, and authors. I may present points I strongly disagree with but see as valid enough that you should be exposed to them. Other times, like my previous post about the Joker in playing cards, I will refute lies and misinformation that is poisoning the well of current accepted knowledge. I will leave it up to you to do even a little research to verify that what I say is true, or if you do deep research and find I am wrong on anything I am eager to see proof where I have erred so that I may correct it.
I want you to stretch yourself beyond your perceived limitations and grow to your fullest extent, to find the lasting happiness so many seek (and often fail to attain). This blog, and the associated websites and books are on the subject of tarot, but other times we will explore astrology, energy work, manifestation, confidence, popularity, and prosperity. It is my belief that to find happiness you must find a balance of responsibility which creates self-worth, pleasure, and evolution, so that you overcome obstacles that plague so many in this world.
Now, on a side note, given the basic capitalistic state of affairs our global society runs on, we all need to pay the rent. I can pay the rent by working a mundane job that has nothing to do with helping people, and squeeze in a few hours a week doing the great work or I can pay my bills by working full time to help as many of you as I can. I choose the latter. To this extent I will occasionally point you to products and services you may benefit from. I will never suggest anything that I have found to be a scam, or questionable. If I suggest an author whose views I personally disagree with and have a link to their products or services I may make that link an affiliate link, meaning that if you decide to try their style of teaching I may get a tiny commission of the sale. I want to make sure this is clear as I believe in transparency. I am not here to sell you products. I am here to help, and in that process things like books, videos, seminars, and so on may cost money. That is the way of life. Until health care is free (don't hold your breath on that ever happening) and my mechanic fixes my car for free, food being free, rent being free, and of course my internet connection :-) . . . I think you get the idea. Until all of that happens it is natural that we all must find a way to earn money to survive and thrive.
It is not for me to tell you how to live your life but I hope you will provide real value to the world around you and know the labor and psychic expenditure you put forth has value. I want you to be the best readers the world has ever seen, unconstrained by false beliefs and ludicrous superstitions that hold so many back. I want people to value you, and the gifts you give to them. I am here. I am me, and not much else. I make no claims of supernatural powers. In fact all of us have abilities others would find amazing if we only knew ourselves and honed those abilities.
Find yourself. I can help you do this. Any competent astrologer can help you find your special psychic powers. But find them. Train yourself, even if "you have no time," because time is the only thing you truly own. We all make "deals with the devil" meaning that we all trade our time for work, family, or whatever responsibilities that demand we sacrifice our dreams and goals to the realities of the life we choose. We all have obligations and distractions. But make some time for yourself and find out who you are. Let me help, or get someone who will. No matter what your religious views are knowing yourself is paramount to success and happiness, and will cut years off of your attempts to find happiness. Knowing who you are tells you what you want and like.
This life, whether a one-shot deal, or one of many, is the only life you have right now. It is the only one that counts. Make something of it. Make yourself happy and bring value to the world by being that amazing super-human who lives inside you. Pick one thing and perfect it. Become a niche. You may "not be for everyone." No one is. That is the problem with religion; there simply is no "one size fits all" and the more we try to force our beliefs on others the more we are like a shoe salesman who tries to sell everyone the same exact shoe—one pair; forever. No choices but this shoe. Take the time to be you, and I will be me. I hope to god we can all find a way to get along. But until then just be you and I will try to understand and help you along. I hope you will do the same for others, even when we disagree.
Thanks for reading.
Joker does not equal Fool
Well howdy! (I have a Texas accent today because we are's about uhxploar gamblin!)
The Joker, in modern playing card decks is often thought to be a direct descendant of the Fool. This myth is so pervasive that many pseudo-scholars have lined up in a parade to pass on this misinformation.
Well, they are wrong and should be made to eat poo for banging the drum and spreading so many lies that now the general tarot reading public simply assumes it is true "because it says so on the internets." The Joker was only recently added to French card decks, which have had tarot decks for over five centuries. You see, it was the French scholars who invented "the tarot" as we know it. At the time (circa 1790) they thought the old Italian cards were heiroglyphics from "Ancient Egypt" which was thought to be the well-spring of all things Occult. This has caused centuries of misinformation and to this day pseudo-scholars who refuse to do the most basic academic research claim the Tarot is Egyptian and that "no one knows its origins" when we can clearly trace it from China to the middle east (but not "ancient Egypt--this is more like the 1300's) and into Italy, Germany, then France, and finally centuries later reinvigorated in France and still later reinvigorated in England by one Arthur Edward Waite.
It is very upsetting that the scientific information is easily found but the vast number of "tarot experts" persist in clinging to outdated beliefs. All one has to do is look at any tarot website or read a book on the tarot with a highlighter to mark the glaring errors. These are not opinions; these are proven facts and it is sad that we, as pagans, look like idiots for swallowing such tripe without ever thinking. Oh well. But...
Also, the Joker evolved from the game of Euchre, and almost immediately spread to Poker, which was all the rage at the same time as Euchre. Original "Jokers" were not Jokers at all, or Jesters, or Fools. They were the best or imperial bower or bauer (as in Jack Bauer, which is funny because the whole thing ties into Jacks--whomever created the show 24 has some secret voodoo knowledge and hid clues in plain sight for those in the know; a subtle nod to signal other adherents).
So . . . let us put this to rest. This information comes from the International Playing-Card Society, who has a stake in recording card history.
So let's not add wishful thinking to the dog pile of myths about the tarot. Okay, now get practicing!
The Joker, in modern playing card decks is often thought to be a direct descendant of the Fool. This myth is so pervasive that many pseudo-scholars have lined up in a parade to pass on this misinformation.
Well, they are wrong and should be made to eat poo for banging the drum and spreading so many lies that now the general tarot reading public simply assumes it is true "because it says so on the internets." The Joker was only recently added to French card decks, which have had tarot decks for over five centuries. You see, it was the French scholars who invented "the tarot" as we know it. At the time (circa 1790) they thought the old Italian cards were heiroglyphics from "Ancient Egypt" which was thought to be the well-spring of all things Occult. This has caused centuries of misinformation and to this day pseudo-scholars who refuse to do the most basic academic research claim the Tarot is Egyptian and that "no one knows its origins" when we can clearly trace it from China to the middle east (but not "ancient Egypt--this is more like the 1300's) and into Italy, Germany, then France, and finally centuries later reinvigorated in France and still later reinvigorated in England by one Arthur Edward Waite.
It is very upsetting that the scientific information is easily found but the vast number of "tarot experts" persist in clinging to outdated beliefs. All one has to do is look at any tarot website or read a book on the tarot with a highlighter to mark the glaring errors. These are not opinions; these are proven facts and it is sad that we, as pagans, look like idiots for swallowing such tripe without ever thinking. Oh well. But...
Also, the Joker evolved from the game of Euchre, and almost immediately spread to Poker, which was all the rage at the same time as Euchre. Original "Jokers" were not Jokers at all, or Jesters, or Fools. They were the best or imperial bower or bauer (as in Jack Bauer, which is funny because the whole thing ties into Jacks--whomever created the show 24 has some secret voodoo knowledge and hid clues in plain sight for those in the know; a subtle nod to signal other adherents).
So . . . let us put this to rest. This information comes from the International Playing-Card Society, who has a stake in recording card history.
So let's not add wishful thinking to the dog pile of myths about the tarot. Okay, now get practicing!
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