Journey to the future... or at least your own mind, with the original Rider-Waite (Rider-Waite Tarot)

Member Name: SophieRainbow

Product:	Rider-Waite Tarot
Date:	12/08/09 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Beautiful illustrations, good for introspection, can be used for card games

Disadvantages: Large, cumbersome cards, more expensive than normal playing cards

Tarot cards can be somewhat intimidating to many ordinary people unaccustomed to the mysterious worlds of divination (palm-reading, rune casting, astrology etc.) but in fact they are a very useful tool for personal introspection. While they can supposedly be used to make predictions about yourself and others, I think they are best used to explore issues in your life and open up new ways of thinking about problems.

*Content*
As with all tarot decks, this one contains 22 major arcana cards with pictures of figures as follows:

0. The Fool, 1. The Magician, 2. The High Priestess, 3. The Empress, 4. The Emporer, 5. The Hierophant, 6. The Lovers, 7. The Chariot, 8. Strength, 9. The Hermit, 10. Wheel of Fortune, 11. Justice, 12. The Hanged Man, 13. Death, 14. Temperance, 15. The Devil, 16. The Tower, 17. The Star, 18. The Moon, 19. The Sun, 20. The Last Judgement, 21. The World.

The rest of the 78 cards are made up of 52 minor arcana cards which are the descendants of the modern 52-card deck. These cards run from 2-10, plus an Ace, Jack, Queen and King in each of the 4 suits which correspond to the 4 modern suits: Swords (spades), Pentacles (diamonds), Wands (clubs), Cups (hearts).

*Design*
These cards feature superb illustrations by Pamela Colman Smith, whose detail, colour and abstraction perfectly embodies the diverse meanings of each card.

In the minor arcana, suits are imaginatively involved within the image. For example in the 2 of cups, two men are trading two of the great golden cups used in each of the other cards of that suit. In the 5 of pentacles, the coins feature in a stained glass window behind a snowy scene of a beggar following a woman down a dark street. The numbers of the cards are clearly signified at the top in Roman Numerals. The names of the picture cards of the minor arcana and major arcana are given at the bottom of those cards.

While the images vary in positivity, most contain a balance of positive and negative energy, with a mixture of light primary, black, white and grey colours incorporated into the designs. Those darker cards (such as the tower) are less oppressive than in other versions of the tarot deck.

Scenes depicted include battles, garden of Eden type images, enthrowned leaders, natural landscapes, gatherings, people thinking, crying, dancing and carrying, men on horseback and people giving or receiving gifts. All are beautiful cards worth having for their aesthetic value alone.

*Uses*
Tarot cards can be used as a divinatory tool. They can also be used for introspection. Several books have been printed on this subject, showing layouts which can be useful for interpreting the cards for various types of decision, knowledge or question. The basic method is as follows:

Sit comfortably, take some deep breaths and relax.
Select a card from the pack that you feel represents you - this is called the Significator.
Shuffle and cut the cards until you are happy. Ask a question or just consider your situation.
Then deal them out:
1. Place a card covering your Significator, and say "This card covers him".
This is your current environment.
2. Place a card horizontally across: "This is his obstacles"
This is an obstacle, or something present which is not useful in itself.
3. Place a card above: "This crowns him"
This represents the ideal of the situation.
4. Place a card below: "This is beneath him"
This represents your resources, something which you can use to help.
5. Place a card to the side the significator is looking: "This is behind him"
This represents what has just past
6. Place a card to the other side: "This is before him"
This represents the near future.
Now place 4 cards in a vertical row which in order represent: your self and attitude; your environment and people around you; hopes and fears; and what will come.
Interpret the cards using your intuition. Take note of whatever enters your mind first - which parts of the image draw your attention.
Try to use your findings to reach a decision or action to take.

There are also some card games whose rules are available on the internet which use the major arcana as trumps: an example is French Tarot, a trick-taking game similar to Bridge or Whist.

Summary: A good set tarot of cards for divination, rumination, cogitation...