By Gary Meister, CTM
A person can spend a lifetime studying the Tarot, and still never know all there is to know. But – you don’t have to spend a lifetime before you can start doing meaningful Tarot card readings for yourself and your friends and relatives. You don’t even have to memorize all the meanings in the Little White Book (LWB) that comes with each new deck of Tarot cards. All you really need to know to get started is one meaning for each card and know it well. This series of articles will show you an easy way to do that, with Numerology.
But, this series isn’t only for beginners. I didn’t learn this system until I had received two Tarot Master Certificates from two different sources, and after nearly 30 years of Tarot study. And, along with some other systems, I use it to this day. So – if you are a newcomer to Tarot, this might make your learning curve a little faster. If you’re a veteran reader, this could be an extra technique to add to your arsenal.
First – if you haven’t yet bought your Tarot Notebook and a deck of Tarot cards, drop everything and do it right now! You’ll need these tools for every lesson in this mini-course. Without them, it’s just a bunch of meaningless words. Also – if you haven’t done it yet, go back into the Archives of Tarot Reflections for the April or May issues so you can download and printout the tables of Number and Element Meanings I gave you there. You will need them with every new lesson.
Cycles
According to numerology, life is a series of cycles, repeating itself over and over through cycle after cycle, as we learn our necessary life-lessons. But – actually, it’s a little bit more than cycles. It is more like a series of spirals (upward or downward, as we learn or don’t learn these lessons). So, as we climb up on the ladder of numbers, although it will seem that we return to where we were before, we never return to exactly the same place. It’s like the old saying, “you can’t go home again.” You can return to your home town as many times as you like, but it will never be the same as when it was your home. Having said that, I’ll leave it with you to store away in your mind and take out to look at once in a while until we return to it in our cyclic spiral of learning. :o)
As we learned the last time, “O” is “Unlimited Potential” or “Infinite Possibilities”. There is absolutely nothing that can’t happen; it’s just that nothing is happening yet. In a Tarot reading, if we drew The Fool, “O”, it would mean that the present situation has endless possibilities, but has not had a decision made as to how they would manifest, what action would be taken. All the probabilities are neatly enclosed inside this “O” waiting for something to turn them loose. The Number One is that key!
The Number One
This number is action in action. Before One, everything was possible but nothing actually was! Once an idea comes into effect and a plan is formed, we have action, which in turn leads to the beginning. This example can be taken all the way back to the formation of our material universe. There was Mind, there was self-awareness, but there was nothing else. No-thing, nothing!
As this Great Intelligence (some call It Nobodaddy) thought, ideas formed in Its Mind. New Ideas. For New Things. So, its thoughts took form, one by one, and the forms were the resulting Creation, which is constantly going on, even today. This was step One, and it is characterized as the Number One, the number of action and beginnings. (You can choose either word if you’re only memorizing one word for each card. They are both equally valid.)
In a reading, the situation (depending upon the Element involved) is about to take form. Action will be taken and something will begin to take place. It will be up to you to decide what kind of thing is happening according to the Element this card represents.
Now you know in detail the meanings of six (6) cards: The Fool, The Magician, the Ace of Cups, the Ace of Pentacles, the Ace of Wands, and the Ace of Swords. (I hope you’ve memorized the meanings of the Numbers and the Elements. From that point on, it’s just a matter of practice; learning to take a basic key word, and expand upon it!
What I want you to do now is take out just The Fool from the deck and study it closely. Look at the picture and see where it can represent its meaning – Infinite Potential. See that moment, frozen in time and space ... the way that anything can happen from that moment on? Cement that thought into your mind. Tell your subconscious mind, “this is what this card means to me – remember it. Believe me, it will!
Now, separate all the ones from your deck and lay them out in front of you: The Magician, the Ace of Cups, the Ace of Pentacles, the Ace of Wands, and the Ace of Swords. What I want you to do now is see how each of these cards applies the meaning “action” or “beginning”. The Magician is taking action by reaching up to the Universe for its power, and bringing down to earth, turning spiritual power into material power. A “beginning”. On the Ace of Cups, an angelic hand reaches out of a cloud holding the symbol of love and the emotions. “Action” is being taken, the “beginning” of some kind of love or relationship. Repeat this thinking process with each of the other Aces, always combining the meaning of “action” or “beginning” with the Element of the suit. Each time, instruct your subconscious mind to remember the meaning and how you see it in the card. The subconscious remembers – that’s its purpose, and it does it well.
I’m going to have you repeat this process with all of the card-numbers as we look at them.
Okay, the action has begun and things look like they are beginning to move. The only problem is Creation involves both Positive and Negative polarities (not positive and negative, like good and bad, but Positive and Negative Polarities, as in electricity). So, at this point, Creation takes another step, The Number Two.
The Number Two
The Great Power of One now splits itself into the two basic polarities of Creation – Positive and Negative! Now Creation and recreation become possible, and Creation actually begins to take shape. It was so in the beginning and it still is! Creation is taking place, minute to minute, forever!
In a reading, the Number Two indicates that there is cooperation with another person, or with Spirit, with something. Check the Element and find out what. The Number Two in the Major Arcana, The High Priestess, may mean cooperation in a spiritual matter – a spiritual teacher may be coming into your life.
The Two of Swords (Air) could indicate a brainstorming session with someone else with like-minded ideas - and so on. Separate all the Twos from the deck, counting The High Priestess and repeat the earlier exercise. Cement the meanings into your mind!
And, with this material, you know the in-depth meanings of five more cards: The High Priestess, the Two of Cups, the Two of Pentacles, the Two of Wands, and the Two of Swords. That makes eleven cards you have learned, counting The Fool – If you’ve been doing your studying! Have you?
Back To The Tarot Notebook
It is time again to write this stuff down in you notebook. First, pick the one or two keywords or phrases you want to use for the appropriate card. Then make a few notes about what you have learned about them. Not a report – just a few words to jog your memory. Remember, writing it down allows another part of your brain to take part in the learning process. And, if you say it aloud as you write it, you add two more: speaking and hearing. See why the notebook idea is good?
Play around with your cards every day; get accustomed to their feel, as you handle them. Do certain symbols jump out at you? What do they mean to you? Write it down! Use the cards you have learned primarily. Use your imagination and discover different ways you use them in a reading. What comes to mind? Write it down.
In between using times, I pray over my Tarot Cards and purify them by running them through incense smoke while visualizing any and all negative vibrations leaving them and disbursing out into the universe where they can be neutralized. I then charge a large clear quartz crystal with healing and a request for my Spirit Guides to help me in their usage the next time I use them. I wrap them in a clean black cloth and lay the crystal on top of them to protect them from any negativity in my absence. I would suggest you do the same.
Next time we’ll start with Number Three and see how far we can get from there. By the way, if you like this series, drop me an e-mail at: tarotmeister@tarotmeister.com and tell me what you think. I may not get to answer all the e-mails, but I promise I will read them all.
Enjoy your work with Tarot Numerology; it can be fascinating, and you’ll be reading Tarot cards quicker than you think! Good Luck! And stop in and visit me at my website! See you next time . . .
Bright Blessings!