The Tarot Introduction

The Tarot

Introduction

What we should know about the Tarot
before starting divination

his first lesson will help us place the Tarot and give keys, which will unlock and decode the arcana in the Tarot. It will also be an opportunity to discover a little about the structure of the Tarot and why it is considered one of the treasures of humanity.

If we can just touch upon the relationship of the Tarot with the sacred, it will be with even greater respect that you will use it.

The Tarot is a picture book created in the Middle Ages and more specifically in the XII century, when most people did not know how to read or write. It is by the development of the image that the Church tried to educate the people.

By participating in the courses given here, you will realize that, by following a rigorous method, you will be able to read the Tarot cards better than any professional! But beware, to want to learn the Tarot is one thing and to learn the method is something else. Nothing is easy by itself. The Occitan Raimon Vidal de Besalu, wrote in the XII century:

There are some lazy individuals who proclaim with arrogance and absurdity when they are ruined, that those born under a good star do not have to get up in the morning. Do not think as such, and do not rely on such opinions, because everything happens at the cost of research and an effort of conquest.

One should avoid simply memorizing the definitions of the Tarot. A thing understood is easily remembered. A definition learnt by heart does not necessarily mean that it has been integrated. It is important that the picture reminds you of what you should remember. That is why the Tarot should never be learned without having the cards in front of you. It is the image of the arcana that must crystallize that which is known, and become your memory.

The concepts symbolized by each arcana are simple. A child can easily retain them. It is their continuation that can become complex. So let us say, that at this initial stage, it is better not to memorize tons of text, because it would create confusion.

Do you think you will enjoy doing the Tarot if the card is hard to understand? Of course not! So we urge you to set aside all you have initially learned. It is not because what you know is wrong, but as Descartes said :

To reach truth, it is sometimes necessary to undo all prior opinions and rebuild new ones, and from the base, the entire system of knowledge.

Accept that you will have to start from zero. Further along the way, you will adjust what you know with what you will have acquired.

We shall focus in the first lessons on learning the tarological alphabet. But before we do that, some adjustments must be made.