Major Arcana:
22 cards, numbered 0 -- 21
These are the Big Guns. The universe embellishes the major arcana with all the unique earth-shattering life-changing moments that hit us through this mortal journey. The major arcana is Spirit’s sucker-punch. It’s all those things we want to avoid in life, even those things that we really need to face, or those things that are inevitable, or those things that are just part of the natural process. The Universe (and Life) grabs us by the hand and drags us down our path, kicking and screaming all the way. It can’t be avoided. This makes it all sound scary, doesn’t it. Well, sometimes life is scary, just because it’s unpredictable, and some of the issues we face, or decisions we have to make, can be daunting. But hopefully it won’t always be scary for us. We’ll have enough courage, common sense, and optimism to get through it all and come out on top...and that’s kind of where this little tool called “Tarot” comes into play.
The major arcana tend to be dramatic cinematic themed cards, like “Death” and “Judgement”. They tend to shake us up. They put a spot light on the major points in our life. Don’t let them intimidate you, and don’t let them frighten you. Stand your ground; stand shoulder to shoulder with each card. Plant your feet firmly and embrace the power. It’s through their drama, their rich color, their depth of experience, that life becomes an amazing miracle.
Minor Arcana:
The suits are all the Small Details of life that keep everything running, not always smoothly, but they keep the flow going and that’s usually so much better than being at a dead standstill, because when the wheels stop turning, life tends to get stagnant. The minor arcana are like the Daily Picture of life, and the Court Cards are all the people filling up this daily picture. It can get pretty crowded and busy, and there’s usually lots of twists and turns, unexpected plots, decisions to make, and wondrous small details that will reveal themselves to complete the picture...and that’s kind of where this little tool called “Tarot” comes into play.4 suits equivalent to a deck of playing cards, each suit containing an Ace, numbered cards 2 -- 10, and four court cards: King, Queen, Knight, and Page.
The minor arcana are very similar to a regular deck of playing cards. You’ll find four suits: traditionally -- pentacles, swords, wands, and cups; which correspond to the suits in playing cards: spades, diamonds, clubs, and hearts. You’ll also find your royal court, the kings, queens, knights, and pages (jacks) all ready to set life in motion and make it come alive. Though relegated to the smaller aspects and details of life, these cards are no less majestic or impressive than the majors. They are filled with high drama and intrigue; they reveal motives; they hold life up for inspection; they examine relationships; and they give dire warnings. But the most important thing this amazing group of cards do...They give you the option of changing your future, of turning your life around. They give you a choice.
Storing & Caring for Your Deck
There’s been much ado made about the various way’s tarot cards should be handled and stored away when not in use. There is the traditional old-school concept of wrapping your tarot cards in a silk scarf and keeping them in a special box. For years I actually did this. I also added to this box an amethyst stone and a small sealed bottle of consecrated water.
I know one woman who kept her cards wrapped in a silk scarf and kept them tucked beneath the pillow on her bed. She also would never allow anyone to touch her cards. The way I toss and turn at night, my cards would probably wind up on the floor or scattered all over the bed if I tried this method.
As far as not allowing anyone to touch my cards -- I use to allow my querents to shuffle the deck, or at least to cut it. Quite frankly, I never liked other people handling my tarot cards. It actually made me cringe inwardly, so I stopped this practice. I don’t believe they were adding any negative energy to the cards, or anything of that nature; I just didn’t like strangers handling my things, much as I wouldn’t want strangers to come into my home and pick up and handle my crystals and stones.
It is purely a personal preference.
I’ve come a long way from the days of my special tarot box and the carefully wrapped deck in the silk scarf. The cards have become such an integral part of my life on a daily basis that they are never far from me. If you visited my home right now, you would find tarot decks, out of their boxes, lying freely all over the house -- a Tarot of the Animal Lords on my nightstand, an oversized Rider/Waite deck on my desk in the living room, three decks stacked on top of each other on my dresser (the Gilded Tarot, Universal Rider/Waite, and Medieval Scapini), as well as a nondescript tiny little avant-garde deck by the lamp on the kitchen table. With six children and six cats in the house, you might think it wouldn’t be wise to leave loose decks lying all over the place, but my children, nor my cats, ever touch my tarot cards, no one does, they never have. This was not even a spoken request; it’s simply the way it’s always been.
Over the past several years I’ve collected over forty decks. I use different decks for particular clients, different decks for certain topics or questions, and various decks -- very ornate or extremely simple -- just to test, sharpen, and hone my psychic skills.
As I said, how you choose to store your decks, and whether you allow other people to handle them, is purely a personal preference. If ritual and tradition is especially important to you, then by all means, keep it special and mystical.
To Cleanse or Not to Cleanse
I am not obsessed with cleansing my decks, though I have noticed that when I do live readings, and particularly on days with a good number of clients, the deck I’m using tends to get weird and glitchy, for lack of a better term. I have begun the practice of always taking two or three decks with me for live in-house readings. If one deck is picking up too much garbage and negative energy, I tuck it away and pull out a fresh deck. And I do make a point of cleansing these decks when I get home.
I prefer to use incense smoke to cleanse my tarot decks. I usually use sandalwood incense for this, or my favorite incense, which is nag champa. Fan the cards out and hold them in one hand hovering them over the smoke, allowing it to curl around and come into contact with your deck, front and back.
There are a number of other ways you can cleanse your tarot deck, if you wish to do so:
Lay your deck in a small glass bowl and sprinkle it with sea salt, leaving it sit in the salt for a good amount of time, until you feel the deck is clear.
You can leave your deck sit in sunshine for several hours to clear it of negative energy, or alternately, leave it sit in moonlight for several hours. I’ve met people who prefer one of these two methods. I suppose it depends on whether you feel more connection to the energy of the sun or the energy of the moon, which will determine the method you choose to use for cleansing.
To cleanse the space where you do readings, smudge the area with a sage stick, or use a sprig of rosemary to dip into consecrated water and sprinkle (or ‘asperge’) the space. This is fine to do if you have a private space, or even a room in your own home where you do readings, but if you read in public places, such as shops and book stores, this may not be possible.
In that case, just light a white candle if it’s allowed (a lot of establishments must abide by fire codes), and sit a clear quartz crystal on your table.
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