The Tarot 101: A Pierrespective
Introduction
Fortunetelling tools such as the I Ching, Runes, and the Tarot have existed for a very long time. The Tarot dates back as far as ancient times in Egypt. When it was discovered there were no instructions on its use so anyone’s interpretation is possible including your own. It is usually used for fortune telling. The objective of this Pierrespective is to provide a simple framework with which to evaluate anything which may be happening in your personal life by putting it in a wider personal and worldly context. The wider personal context covers your Head, Heart, Body, and Soul aspects (The Minor Arcana). The wider worldly context covers your current place on the Path of World Discovery and covers your social, spiritual, and cosmic aspects (The Major Arcana).
Your Question in the Context of your Personal Self:
A the Minor Arcana
As mentioned above, the wider personal context covers your Head, Heart, Body, and Soul aspects (The Minor Arcana) of your question.
The minor arcana are the predecessor of modern playing cards. The four suits (cups, swords, pentacles, and wands) correspond to the modern suits (hearts, spades, diamonds, and clubs).
The Tarot has one more facecard in each suit than the modern cards so there are 14 cards per suit for a total of 56 cards in the Tarot deck compared to 52 cards in the modern deck. The Pierrespective considers this an insignificant difference.
The Pierrespective identifies the four Tarot suits of cups, swords, pentacles, and wands with the aspects of your heart, head, body and soul. It further arbitrarily orders the cards in each suit from the bottom 2 of any suit to the Ace at the top of the suit. Obtaining the 2 of any suit in answer to a question means that you are a beginner in that aspect of yourself as pertains to your question. Obtaining the Ace in any suit means that you are an experienced master in that aspect of yourself as pertains to your question. Drawing any card between the 2 or the Ace of any suit indicates where you are situated in knowing that aspect of yourself on the path from the 2, the beginning of understanding and assuming, to the Ace, the mastery of understanding and assuming.
A2 Your Heart: The Cups
This suit deals with your how your heart is dealing with your question. It includes your feminine side, which includes your feelings, love, and perception.
A2 Your Head: The Swords
This suit deals with your how your head is dealing with your question. It includes your masculine side, which includes logic which includes the essence and direction of your question.
A3 Your Body: The Pentacles
This suit deals with your how your body is dealing with your question. It includes how all of your systems and energy are dealing with your question.
A4 Your Soul: The Wands
This suit deals with your how your soul is dealing with your question. It includes your spiritual self, which includes how your spiritual energy is dealing with your question.
A5 Using the Personal or Minor Arcana
You can use the minor arcana by itself if you want to address only the personal aspects of your question.
You would first clarify your question, being careful to NOT ask questions that require only a yes or no answer. The tarot and similar oracular devices function best when they are used to put any question in a bigger personal context so that you are looking at how all four of your personal aspects are dealing with your question rather than just the one or two aspects that may be stuck at any particular time.
