by Marcus Katz
We then draw our Tarot cards to get a pictorial snapshot of the framework in which we should make our actions. These turn out to be the 6 of Wands, 10 of Pentacles, 5 of Pentacles and 2 of Cups. We can read these as a situation where we are seeing a vision being mainly realized but not yet finished (6 of Wands), financial stability (10 of Pentacles) going hand-in-hand with significant investment (5 of Pentacles) and a partnership bearing good initial results (2 of Cups). Again, whilst warning slightly of a tension between stability and investment (the deferred income of the 5 of Pentacles) the general snapshot is also favourable.
Finally we look to the three Runes we cast to provide the fuel or divination for the direction and action required. These were cast and produced in this reading; Elhaz, Berkano and Thurisaz. These can be interpreted respectively as awakening (but a danger not to attack, but be circumspect), domestic change (in a peaceful manner) and a directed force (but with a warning to not blindly engage the world, but to do so with knowledge). These runes are all slightly double-edged, but in the main signify we should proceed, but hold back a little and be aware we do not know the full lay of the land.
This caution is also intimated in the I-Ching which warns of the fox getting its tail wet in the water of the passing river.
By using these various oracular devices each in their own context, we can create an overall reading which is elegant, comprehensive and dovetails into a meaningful whole.
Recommended Reading
Lyn Birkbeck, The Astrological Oracle (London: Thorsons, 2002).
Conclusion
We trust you will find many months of discovery and play with your decks in this second Tarosophy KickStart Guide. It has been a pleasure to produce it and play with the ideas to provide a fresh new look at Tarot.
It is hoped you will feel inspired to play with your deck as a living and breathing oracle in engagement with the world around you. Our next Kickstart Guide, Tarot Uplift, explores how to further use Tarot as a spiritual exploration of the mysteries.
These Guides are a prompt for your own exploration, to discover your own voice in Tarot. We encourage the diversity of divination!
We have also provided in the final section a list of reading materials and website resources to discover more in the very best of Tarot and Tarosophy.
Further Reading
The following titles have been chosen specifically to provide further intermediate reading on subjects connected with Tarot Twist. They all deal in their own ways with the interconnected universe, a concept in which all Tarosophy resides.
Dreams
James Hall, Jungian Dream Interpretation (Inner City Books, 1983)
Science & Religion
Ervin Laszlo, The Interconnected Universe (Singapore: World Scientific, 1999)
Mark I. Wallace, Finding God in the Singing River (Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2005)
Lynne McTaggart, The Field (New York: Harper Collins, 2002)
Michael Conforti, Field, Form and Fate (New Orleans: Spring Journal, 1999)
Louise B. Young, The Unfinished Universe (Oxford: Oxford Press, 1993)
Runes & I-Ching
Edred Thorsson, At The Well of Wyrd (York Beach: Weiser, 1988)
Stephen Karcher, Total I-Ching (London: Time Warner, 2003)
Oracles Contemporary and Ancient
Lon Milo Duquette, The Book of Ordinary Oracles (York Beach: Weiser, 2005)
Sarah Iles Johnston, Ancient Greek Divination (Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell, 2008)
Tarot
Katz, M. Tarosophy. Chang Mai: Salamander & Sons, 2012.
Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Around the Tarot in 78 Days. Woodbury: Llewellyn, 2012.
Katz, M. & Goodwin, T. Tarot Flip. Forge Press, 2012.
Websites & Resources
If you enjoy new learning, and want many more ways to use your Tarot deck, we encourage you to explore our websites. You are also welcome to join us in your national Tarosophy Tarot Association, where as a member you will instantly receive thousands of pages of materials, and tarot video courses for every level.
We look forward to seeing you soon on your Tarot journey!
Tarosophy Tarot Associations
http://www.tarotassociation.net
Tarot Professionals Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/groups/tarotprofessionals
Free Tarot Card Meanings & Spreads
http://www.mytarotcardmeanings.com
Hekademia Tarot Course
http://www.tarosophyuniversity.com
Tarot Town Social Network
http://www.tarot-town.com
Tarosophy by Marcus Katz
http://www.tarosophy.com
The Tarot Speakeasy Blog
http://www.tarotspeakeasy.com
Tarot Book Club
http://www.tarotbookclub.com
The Tarot Review
http://www.thetarotreview.com
TarotCon International Tarot Conventions
http://www.tarotconvention.com
Fortune-Telling Laws
http://www.fortunetellinglaws.com
The Original Lenormand Deck
http://www.originallenormand.com
Learning Lenormand
http://www.learninglenormand.com
The Tyldwick Tarot
The Tyldwick Tarot, by Neil Lovell, whose images grace the covers of this Tarosophy Kickstart series, can be viewed online on the comprehensive and beautifully designed site:
http://www.malpertuis.co.uk/tyldwick.
The theme of the deck is that of an elegant house, through which one can wander without “being distracted by a cast of characters” as might be found in other Tarot decks. The cards are beautifully layered and suffused with tonal casts from the international travel that the designer has enjoyed – and not so enjoyed - as described in some fascinating cases which are revealed in the extensive interview on the site.
The deck reminds us very much of the film, Last Year in Marienbad (1961, dir. Alain Resnais) which is a dream-like excursion into an environment which may or may not be real, in which the characters not so much inhabit the place, but are extensions of the place itself. In the Tyldwick Tarot, the few characters we see are the Court Cards where faces are reflected in mirrors – or perhaps are even looking out from the other side of the mirrors themselves.
We highly recommend this deck!
Another suitable use for this deck would be as an adjunct to the Inner Guide Meditation work. You can discover more about the Inner Guide Meditation in the book of the same name by Edwin Steinbrecher (pub. York Beach: Weiser, 1988) and at our site for the method here:
http://www.tarotprofessionals.com/innerguide.html
Kindle Tarot Books & Series
Check out all our other books and series for original and exciting ways in which you can use a deck of tarot cards to change your life.
Gated Spreads Series
Set 1
Book 1: The Tarot Shaman (Contact Your Animal Spirit)
Book 2: Gates of Valentine (Love & Relationships)
Book 3: The Resurrection Engine (Change Your Life)
Set 2
Book 4: Palace of the Phoenix (Alchemy)
Book 5: Garden of Creation (Creativity & Inspiration)
Book 6: Ghost Train (Explore Your Past)
Set 3
Coming Soon – Enter the Temple of the Gods.
Tarosophy KickStart Series
Volume I.
Book I: Tarot Flip - Reading Tarot Straight from the Box
Book II: Tarot Twist – 78 New Spreads and Methods [paperback]
Book III: Tarot Inspire – Tarot for a Spiritual Life
Tarot Life Series
Tarot Life: A revolutionary method to change your life in 12 Kindle pamphlets.
1. Discover Your Destiny
2. Remove The Blocks
3. Make Decisions Better
4. Enter the Flow
5. Ride the Lion
6. Connect to Service
7. Find Equality
8. Die To Your Self
9. Entering Unity
10. Becoming the Real
11. Your Keys to Freedom
12. The Depth of Divinity
Also in Print and Kindle
Tarosophy: A ground-breaking book packed with original ideas.
Around the Tarot in 78 Days: The ideal beginner book, a three-month course through every card. An award-winning book, recognized by the COVR New Age Industry Award for Best Divination Book 2013.
Tarot Face to Face: Take your tarot out of the box and into life!
The Secrets of the Waite-Smith Tarot: Learn the real meanings of the world’s most popular tarot deck [available Spring 2014, pub. Llewellyn Worldwide].
Tarot Turn Vol. 1 - 3: A massive crowd-sourced reference guide to all 12,200 possible combinations of reversed Tarot card pairs.
May a full deck of possibilities be yours …
* * *
[1] This is a variant way of seeing the Fool’s Journey suggested by reader Marcia McCord during the Tarot Town Halloween Ball, 2010. We were playing Rachel’s Game, which is in itself another way of seeing the intrinsic journey each of the Major cards implies.
[2] We recommend the works and services of Lyn Birkbeck, www.lynbirkbeck.com. His Instant Astrologer book is a classic (also published as the Watkins Astrological Handbook), and the software that accompanies it invaluable.
[3] Jung quoted in Anthony Stevens On Jung (London 1990) p. 206
[4] Quoted in Carl Henrich, Strange Fruit (London: Bloomsbury, 1995), p. 40. Originally from Norton, Theatr. Chem. ‘Ordinall’ p. 40
[5] Edward F. Edinger, Anatomy of the Psyche: Alchemical Symbolism in Psychotherapy (Illinois: Open Court Press, 1994), p. 2. This is quoted from Jung, CW 14, para. 792, but Edinger’s book gives a clearer depiction of the stages of alchemy corresponding to the individuation process, and hence, to some degree, the initiation system of the esoteric tradition.
[6] Telhard de Chardin, Hymn of the Universe (London: William Collins & Sons, 1965) p. 53
[7] www.magickaschool.com
[8] Kenneth Grant, The Ninth Arch (London: Starfire, 2002) p. 12, p. 160
