Tarot Defined

The Tarot archetypes are simply pictorial symbols representing life
and the stages and experiences we all go through from birth until
death. They are symbols of all life cycles. The first 22 cards,
called the Major Arcana, are also called the "Fool's Journey." It is
the story of one's journey through life starting as The Fool: The
Beginning, youthful, pure energy in spirit form. The journey
continues in the symbols, depicting events and cycles in one's life.
Completion is in "The World" archetype, the End, and the Fool has
traveled to wholeness and completion of the cycle of life. The other
56 cards, the Minor Arcana, describe the people, events, feelings, and
circumstances we encounter on our personal "Fool's Journey."

As we travel through the cycles of life, we use different parts of our
being, the personality or spirit. Those personality functions are
pictured by archetype in the 56 cards in the four suits of the Tarot,
(Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles). We also encounter events and
people who fit the symbolic archetypes. Carl Jung described the
archetypes as:

*Wands - Fire - Intuition
*Swords - Air - Thinking
*Cups - Water - Feeling
*Pentacles - Earth - Sensing

Thus the Tarot simply shows the pictures of ourselves, our journey,
the people, the environment, the events of life, and the spirit of the
universal energies. Underlying all of creation are common threads,
archetypes, that are part of the study of cycles, wheels, seasons, and
rhythms. Linking these archetypes to the Tarot, Astrology, and
Numerology has been done for thousands of years. We all seek to
define our Universe in a language we all understand.

* Major Arcana = One's Life Journey
* Minor Arcana = People and Events along the way (Wands,
Pentacles, Swords, Cups in the card decks)
The cards are laid in a spread to answer a question (a reading)
usually on the topics of love, relationships, family, wealth and
money, stress, problems, life decisions, health, careers and work,
meditation, daily guidance, prayer, and personal growth.

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