Getting the most from a Tarot card reading relies on the
reader’s ability to perceive not only the symbolic meaning from the
spread, but also the mystical significance. Although every card of both
the Major and the Minor Arcana possesses its own individual symbolism
within the representative images on the cards, it is the deeper,
spiritual enlightenment of the cards that leads to a greater
understanding. Attaining this type of perception is the key to making
Tarot a truly valid part of life.

The 76 cards of a Tarot deck each have a specific, external
meaning. These are specified by the positive and negative
characteristics governing the chief aspects of our lives (Major
Arcana), as well as the day-to-day import reflected in the suits and by
each card within the suits (Minor Arcana).

The representative images, however, go much deeper than what
they portray at first glance. These images address the part of the
psyche beyond our ability to control. They touch our inner selves, our
subconscious, that part of ourselves that encompasses our innermost
core. And this core provides the basis for all the influences that
affect our character, that send both positive and negative energy, that
govern the directional path in which our lives proceed – or stall.

With the Seven of Cups, for example, the surface meaning
implies material wealth. However, when the theme of the card, which
includes delusional thoughts of acquiring wealth, becomes known to the
reader, the Seven of Cups represents something else altogether. If the
asker wants to know, for instance, when he or she will when the
lottery, this card – by itself – shows the futility of such a pursuit.
However, depending upon the position of the card in the spread, other
cards surrounding that Seven of Cups, the events that have previously
occurred in the questioner’s life, and the very deepest driving forces
within that person, the card could very well imply tremendous riches on
the horizon.

The mystical and symbolic meanings of Tarot cards become
intertwined as the practitioner of this “secret and closed” art becomes
more adept at his or her readings. With experience and the earnest
searching for the deeper meanings found in the spread of a Tarot deck,
the reader eventually comes to understand how and why this art has
persevered over the centuries as an indicator of the human condition –
past, present, and with skill and patience, the future.

Our psyches reach out to instruct, warn, comfort, and console
us in many ways. Throughout the history of mankind, people have striven
to understand their deeper selves, and Tarot remains, after hundreds of
years, as one more tool to do so. So whether one is just beginning the
journey toward understanding or has been a voyager on the path for many
years, the Tarot persists because it calls to searchers of
enlightenment. Tarot beckons like a siren’s song to teach the secret
things of the universe. Will you be one who answers that call?