Tarot Basics Dr. Charlotte Venkatraman
About me
Doctor and psychiatrist
Small business in aromatherapy and other holistic therapies including tarot
Interest in tarot since childhood
Work part time as a doctor and holistic practitioner now
Trustee for Mind
History of the tarot
14th Century Italy – earliest recorded use in Europe. May have been in use before that.
Mostly for games initially
French magical revival in the 19th Century – cards seen as illustrating a spiritual journey
A.E. Waite and the RWS deck
Overview
78 Cards in total
22 Majors – spiritual journey. ‘The Fool’s Journey’
40 Minors – everyday events.
Four Suits – Wands, Cups, Swords, Pentacles
16 Court cards – King, Queen, Knight, Page
Minors – 4 suits
Wands – Fire – South. Ambition / Career
Cups – Water – West. Emotion / Relationships
Swords – Air – East. Thought / Strategy
Pentacles – Earth – North. Resources / Money / Job
All numbered 1-10 (Aces = 1)
Creative task with 10 stages
Court Cards
Like Jack, Queen King of playing cards
Represent people in your life, aspects of you, giving advice
King – stable energy
Queen – nurturing / becoming
Knight – dynamic / moving (adolescent / male)
Page – new / young (child / female)
Each has a personality
Majors
Labelled 0-22
From the Fool to The World and back around.
Spiritual journey – Start with nothing, develop your ego, obtain the world, start again.
Constant cycle of Birth, Death and Rebirth
Look at the picture
Try to think of 0ne or two words to sum it up i.e. ‘new beginnings’, ‘hope’
Ways of using the cards
Divination – different spreads
Read for yourself
Jung and psychotherapy
Meditation / rituals
Daily card
Walk into the card
Art
Try a reading
Let your client shuffle them
3 card reading
Past – Present - Future
Think about minor suits 1-10
Court card personalities – think of the suit / gender / age
Majors – look at the picture and think of a word to describe it
Make a story
Dowsing and tarot
Write down different areas of your life –e.g. Career, Money, Relationships, Home, Family
Lay cards on them face down
Dowse to see which is the most important aspect at the moment
Look at the card to see what the main issue is.
Add more cards to look for solutions
Where to go from here
Be Flexible!
I’m available for readings and teaching in small groups or 1:1 –www.chartopia.co.uk
Tarot professionals –http://www.tarotassociation.net/
Magicka school –
http://www.magickaschool.com/
Books – learning the tarot, living the tarot, tarosophy, Kick start guides