Dragontree Magick

I’m probably going to catch a bit of grief from many of my fellow readers for this!

As you’ve probably noticed from the tone of my earlier articles, my general attitude toward reading is fairly individualized.  Each person has his or her own reasons for their favorite deck, their methods of keeping them and, of course, their own methods for reading.  The beauty of this is that each system is just as valid as the next.

While it is true that many of the cards imagery access certain archetypes that should not be ignored, Tarot reading is a highly personalized art.  There are as many techniques and interpretations as there are readers. I have noticed, however, the most important key to Tarot reading is consistency.

This is not to say that a good reader is necessarily rigid.  In my experience, the best Tarot readers have and acknowledge their own technique of reading, but respect the techniques and interpretations of others.  They are also open to adopting new techniques, interpretations, and spreads if it feels right.

The matter of consistency applies to spreads, card handling, and the interpretations.  The more consistent you are with a particular interpretation, position meaning, or card handling, the more your subconscious becomes attuned to your style of reading.  The more your subconscious is attuned to your own style of reading, the more natural and intuitive your readings will feel.

The technique which I most highly recommend to produce consistency with interpretations, and one in which I will use liberally in this class is the use of keywords.  These are simple words or phrases that help delineate the cards’ meanings.  For example, in my own system, my keyword for the Death card is “big change” and my keyword for the 10 of swords is “yep, it’s that bad.”

It is also of primary importance to develop your own method of reading, borrowing, but not accepting wholesale what someone else delineates.  Doing so, more often than not, artificializes the reading.  I highly recommend that you read through the little white book, to get the flavor of your deck, then put it away to decide your own meanings.

There are a number of ways of doing this.  You may decide to follow an astrological/elemental system in which you decide that Swords represent Air, Pentacles represent Earth, Staves represent Fire, and Cups represent Water, with all of the elemental associations along with it.  Some astrologically minded readers then associate the numbers of the cards with houses (or, sometimes, zodiac signs) and their associations.  In this manner the two of cups would have the same meaning as a water sign in the second house.

One way of doing this, of course, is by assigning a “Realm” to each suit.  For example, you may choose to associate the Swords with Intellectual matters, the Wands with Creativity, the Pentacles with foundation and support, and the Cups with Emotions.

Next, you’ll want to associate each of the card designations to an attribute.  This, of course, is very individualized, but a common theme in Tarot runs like this:

Ones:  Beginning

Twos:  Partnership

Threes:  Synthesis

Fours:  Groundwork

And so on, of course, through the Kings.

All that really remains is creating your keywords for each card by combining the attribute with the realm. Thus, the Two of Cups (Partnership/Emotions) may mean “Friendship” or “Love.”

Of course, the Major Arcana cards may be given their own individual meanings or may be considered “higher vibrations” of their Minor Arcana counterparts.  That is, the card that is numbered “3” in your Major Arcana (the Empress, in many decks) becomes “Synthesis” on a spiritual level.  In this case, the Empress may remind us of rebirth and creation within ourselves.

I tend to follow a numerological/esoteric method, which is a sort of combination of “old, traditional meanings” peppered with numerological correspondences and personal interpretations.  These “personal interpretations” seem to be the spark that touches my clients the most.

Indeed, I’ve found that the most successful readers tend to focus on the artwork of the cards themselves.  These cards drew you for a reason.  They have symbols hidden in each card that speak to you on a subconscious level.  Interpret these symbols during a reading, and you have a first-rate session in the making.

Now that you’ve got your deck, you’re might be wondering what to do with it.  Where do you keep it? Do you let other people touch it while doing a reading?  Do you store it somewhere special?

Again, here’s my characteristically noncommittal answer:  Treat it how you want to treat it.

I’ve known readers who buy special, consecrated boxes made of specific kind of wood for their cards.  These containers (as well as the cards) are wiped with mugwort weekly and are exposed to the full moon each month and no one is allowed to touch them–ever.  There’s one person in particular that I’m thinking of.  She only took her cards out of “its home” in her altar drawer at night and dusted her cards on a regular basis.

My other reader friend, Will, thought she was a bit extreme.  Will carried his around in his backpack and, at the time I knew him, he kept it in the cardboard box it originally came with.  It was held together with tape and a rubber band.  I’m sure that when the box eventually disintegrated, he just slapped the rubber band around the cards. While he preferred to shuffle them himself while doing a reading, he didn’t mind using them to play poker (Trumps are wild) and I swear I saw him use the Tower as a coaster once.

Rather than blessing and smudging his cards with sage after each reading, he slammed the whole deck on the table to “shake out the vibes.”  I must confess to having been a bit unnerved the first time I saw him do this!

The burning question here, of course, is which one of them is right?

They both are, of course!

Neither one of them are hurting their readings.  It would only hinder their abilities to read if they were caring for their cards in a manner that was inconsistent with their own needs and personalities.  If Will was pressured into taking care of his cards in the same manner as our first reader, he would probably feel so restrained and compressed that he wouldn’t feel relaxed and “free” enough to creatively read.  Likewise, if my neater, more ‘structured’ friend were pressured into relaxing her standards a bit, I’ll wager that she would have felt so ‘surrounded by chaos’ that she would be unable to concentrate.

I do, however, have only one suggestion. Although Tarot decks are being mass-produced on an increasing basis as their popularity rises, they are still not the most inexpensive tools.   I am very surprised that Will didn’t have to buy new decks regularly.  Your cards will last longer if you take care of them well.  The only guideline I would recommend for anyone to follow regarding card care, therefore, is “Make ‘em last.”

Honestly, this should be a very short article.  In fact, you could honestly read the first sentence of the next paragraph and ignore the rest of the article.  However, like most Tarot readers, I tend to be a bit verbose and will expound on a simple concept for several paragraphs.

Pick a deck you like. In essence, if you use a deck you’re “drawn to,” you’re using the right deck.  Conversely, if you use a deck you’re uncomfortable with, chances are you will have a hard time reading with them, regardless of who or what recommends them.

There’s a corollary to that statement, of course.  I can’t tell you how many times a student or future Tarot reader (no pun intended) has approached me with the thought that they cannot purchase a deck for themselves.  It seems that they believe that any deck, unless presented to them as a gift, is completely ineffective.

What utter hogwash!

If an aspiring reader waited around for someone to spontaneously give them a Tarot deck, they are likely to be waiting a very long time indeed.  In addition, this gifted deck is not terribly likely to be a deck with which the recipient is comfortable.  Most of the decks that I have been given as gifts, for example, have been either too large for my hands, have artwork that don’t fit my preferred meanings, or are otherwise “incompatible” with my reading and handling style.

As such, I argue that the cards you do purchase for yourself are the most likely to be effective and not the other way around!

That being said let me give my criterion for choosing a first deck.  Although these are guidelines that I strongly suggest for my students and based on many years of experience working with beginners, they are certainly not set in stone.  If you find a deck with which you resonate in defiance of these criteria, congratulations on a job well done!

1)  Most modern decks are based at least partially on the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) symbolism (these are often referred to as “clones”).  For that reason, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with this symbolic system, as it enhances your own flexibility across decks as a reader.  As such, I highly recommend these kinds of cards for a first deck.

Just because we call them “clones,” however, does not mean that they lack originality.  You will find many beautiful and creative decks that are very distinct from one another yet retain their links to the RWS symbolism!

2)  More importantly, do all of the cards have detailed drawings?  This includes the Minor Arcana.  Many decks have beautifully presented Majors, but the Minor Arcana cards are left merely with a number and a representation of a suit (e.g., simply six cups for the “six of cups” and no ‘picture’ to go with it).  With detailed graphics on each card, you can draw from the symbolism presented.  This enhances learning, creative reading, and it makes explaining the meanings of each card to the client much easier!

3)  Are the cards too big or too small to shuffle comfortably?  Most people are accustomed to shuffling a standard-sized deck.  Remember, this deck is already thicker than the standard 52-card deck.  Overly small or large cards may make it even more difficult for you to handle them without fumbling frequently.  Also, many readers ask their clients to shuffle the cards.  If you choose this method, it is even more advisable to choose a deck that is similar in size to a standard deck.

For example, I love the Visconti-Sforza deck.  I find it to be a beautiful, historic work of art.  However, I will never, ever use this deck in a reading unless it were for pure theatrical value.  This is because the cards in this deck are roughly twice the size of my hands!  On the other hand, the Hanson-Roberts deck and the Wonderland Tarot are roughly the same size as regular playing cards.  These are easily shuffled and handled.

As the former proprietor of an online shoppe, here’s where I kind of shoot myself in the foot.  When it comes to choosing a Tarot deck, I highly recommend that you visit a physical bookstore first.  This is because many such bookstores will have “sample decks” on display for you to examine the deck before you buy it.  Try them out, look through the deck, shuffle them around, listen to the cards as they ruffle.  If you’re comfortable with the deck, it is right.