Tarot
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This article is about a set of cards used for both games and divination.
For other uses, see Tarot (disambiguation).
Visconti-Sforza tarot deck – The Devil card is a 20th Century remake of the card supposed to be missing from the original 15th Century Deck
Visconti-Sforza tarot deck – The Devil card is a 20th Century remake of the card supposed to be missing from the original 15th Century Deck
The tarot is a set of cards featuring 21 trump cards, the fool, and an extra face card per suit, in addition to the usual suit (face and pip) cards found in ordinary playing cards. Tarot cards are used throughout much of Europe to play Tarot card games.[1]
In English-speaking countries, where the games are largely unknown, Tarot cards came to be utilized primarily for divinatory purposes[1][2] with the trump cards along with the Fool card comprising the 22 major arcana cards and the pip and four face cards the 56 minor arcana.
Contents
1 Origins
2 Card usage
2.1 Games
2.2 Divination
3 History
3.1 Early tarot decks
3.2 Later tarot decks
4 Modern deck designs
4.1 Differences among decks
5 References
6 External links
[edit] Origins
Playing cards first entered Europe in the late 14th century with the Mamelukes of Egypt, with suits of Scimitars, Polo Sticks, Cups and Coins. These designs rapidly evolved into the basic 'Latin' suits of Swords, Staves, Cups and Coins (also known as disks, and pentacles), which are still used in traditional Italian and Spanish packs.[3] All evidence indicates that the first tarot decks were created between 1410 and 1430 in either Milan, Ferrara, or Bologna, in northern Italy, when additional trump cards with allegorical illustrations were added to the more common four-suit decks that already existed. These new decks were originally called “carte da trionfi”, or "triumph cards." The first literary evidence of the existence of carte da trionfi is a written statement in the court records in Ferrara, in 1442. The oldest surviving Tarot cards are from 15 fragmented decks painted in the mid 15th century for the Visconti-Sforza family, the rulers of Milan.[4]
When the tarot was first used for divination is not known, but no documented examples exist prior to the 18th century. However, divination using similar cards is in evidence as early as 1540; a book entitled The Oracles of Francesco Marcolino da Forli shows a simple method of divination using the coin suit of a regular playing card deck. Manuscripts from 1735 (The Square of Sevens) and 1750 (Pratesi Cartomancer) document rudimentary divinatory meanings for the cards of the tarot, as well as a system for laying out the cards. In 1765, Giacomo Casanova wrote in his diary that his Russian mistress frequently used a deck of playing cards for divination.
In 1781 Antoine Court de Gébelin wrote a speculative history and a detailed system for using tarot for divination. Since the publication of this history, various explanations have been given for the origins of tarot, most of them of doubtful veracity. There is no evidence for any tarot cards prior to the hand-painted ones that were used by Italian nobles, though some esoteric schools place tarot's origin in Ancient Egypt, or Ancient India.[5]
The reason the origin of the tarot cards was supposed to be Egypt probably started with the mistaken belief that gypsies, among the first to use the cards for divinatory purposes, were descendants of ancient Egypt (hence the name "gypsies").
[edit] Card usage
[edit] Games
For traditional European card games played with Tarot cards, see Tarot card games. For the French card game, see French tarot.
The earliest documented usage of tarot cards was for playing games, with the first basic rules appearing in the manuscript of Martiano da Tortona (before 1425;[6]).
[edit] Divination
For a history and description of the use of Tarot cards in divination, see Tarot reading.
[edit] History
[edit] Early tarot decks
The relationship between tarot cards and playing cards is well documented. Playing cards first appeared in Christian Europe some time before 1367, the date of the first documented evidence of their existence, a ban on their use, in Bern, Switzerland.[7] Before this, cards had been used for several decades in Islamic Spain (see playing card history for discussion of its origins). Early European sources describe a deck with typically 52 cards, like a modern deck with no jokers.[8] The 78-card tarot resulted from adding the Fool and 21 trumps to an early 56-card variant (14 cards per suit)[9].
A greater distribution of playing cards in Europe can, with some certainty, be given from 1377 onwards. Tarot cards appear to have been developed some 40 years later, and they are mentioned in the surviving text of Martiano da Tortona.[10] Da Tortona's text is thought to have been written between 1418 and 1425, since in 1418 the confirmed painter Michelino da Besozzo returned to Milan, and Martiano da Tortona died in 1425. It cannot be proven that tarot cards did not exist earlier than this date, but it seems improbable as the Martiano da Tortona text was written at least 15 years earlier than other corroborating documents.
Da Tortona describes a deck similar to tarot cards in many specific ways. What he describes is more a precursor to tarot than what we might think of as "real" tarot cards. For instance, his deck has only 16 trumps, its motifs are not comparable to common tarot cards (they are Greek gods) and the suits are four kinds of birds, not the common Italian suits.
What makes da Tortona's deck similar to tarot cards is that these 16 cards are obviously regarded as trump cards in a card game; about 25 years later, a near-contemporary speaker, Jacopo Antonio Marcello, called them a ludus triumphorum, or "game winner". The letter in which Marcello uses this term has been documented and translated on the Internet.[11]
Le Bateleur from the Tarot of Marseilles
Le Bateleur from the Tarot of Marseilles
The next documents that seem to confirm the existence of objects similar to tarot cards are two playing card decks from Milan (Brera-Brambrilla and Cary-Yale-Tarocchi) — extant, but fragmentary — and three documents, all from the court of Ferrara, Italy. It is not possible to put a precise date on the cards, but it is estimated that they were made circa 1440. The three documents date from 1 January 1441 to July 1442, with the term trionfi first documented in February 1442. The document from January 1441, which used the term trionfi, is regarded as unreliable; however, the fact that the same painter, Sagramoro, was commissioned by the same patron, Leonello d'Este, as in the February 1442 document, indicates that it is at least plausibly an example of the same type. After 1442 there is some seven years without any examples of similar material, which gives no reason to conclude a greater distribution of the game during these years. The game seemed to gain in importance in the year 1450, though, a Jubilee year in Italy, which saw many festivities and movement of pilgrims.
Until this time all relevant early documents point to the origin of the trionfi cards as being in the upper class of Italian society, specifically the courts of Milan and Ferrara. At the time, these were the most exclusive courts in Europe.
In the given context, it seems apparent that the special motifs on the trumps, which were added to regular playing cards with a "four suits of 14 cards" structure, were ideologically determined. They are thought to show a specific system of transporting messages of different content; known early examples show philosophical, social, poetical, astronomical, and heraldic ideas, for instance, as well as a group of old Roman/Greek/Babylonian heroes, as in the case of the Sola-Busca-Tarocchi (1491)[12] and the Boiardo Tarocchi poem[13] (produced at an unknown date between 1461 and 1494). For example, the earliest-known deck, extant only in its description in Martiano's short book, was produced to show the system of Greek gods, a theme that was very fashionable in Italy at the time. Its production may well have accompanied a triumphal celebration of the commissioner Filippo Maria Visconti, duke of Milano, meaning that the purpose of the deck was to express and consolidate the political power in Milan (as was common for other artworks of the time). The four suits showed birds, motifs that appeared regularly in Visconti heraldry, and the specific order of the gods gives reason to assume that the deck was intended to imply that the Visconti identified themselves as descendants from Jupiter and Venus (which were seen not as gods but deified mortal heroes).
This first known deck seems to have had the standard ten numbered cards, but having kings as the only court card, and only 16 trumps. The later standard (four suits of 14 plus 22) took time to settle; trionfi decks with 70 cards only are still spoken of in 1457.[14] No corroborating evidence for the final standard 78-card format exists prior to the Boiardo Tarocchi poem and the Sola Busca Tarocchi.
Individual researchers' opinions are that the trionfi decks of the early time primarily had five suits of fourteen cards [13] only; the trumps and the fool were simply considered as a fifth suit with predefined trump function.
The oldest surviving tarot cards are three early- to mid-15th century sets, all made for members of the Visconti family. The first deck is the so called Cary-Yale Tarot (or Visconti-Modrone Tarot), was created in 1442-1447 by an anonymous painter for Filippo Maria Visconti. The cards (only 66) are today in the Yale University Library of New Haven. But the most famous of these early tarot decks was painted in the mid-15th century, to celebrate the conquest of the power in Milan by Francesco Sforza and his wife Bianca Maria Visconti, daughter of the duke Filippo Maria. Probably, these cards were painted by Bonifacio Bembo, but some cards were realized by miniaturists of another school. Of the original cards, 35 are in the Pierpont Morgan Library, 26 are at the Accademia Carrara, 13 are at the Casa Colleoni and two, the Devil and the Tower, are lost, or possibly were never made. This "Visconti-Sforza" deck, which has been widely reproduced, combines the suits of swords, batons, coins and cups and the court cards king, queen, knight and page with trumps that reflect conventional iconography of the time to a significant degree.[15]
For a long time tarot cards remained a privilege for the upper class of society, and, although some sermons inveighing against the evil inherent in cards can be traced to the 14th century, the Roman Catholic Church and most civil governments did not routinely condemn tarot cards during tarot's early history. In fact, in some jurisdictions, tarot cards were specifically exempted from laws otherwise prohibiting the playing of cards.
[edit] Later tarot decks
As the earliest tarot cards were hand-painted, the number of the decks produced is thought to have been rather small, and it was only after the invention of the printing press that mass production of cards became possible. Decks survive from this era from various cities in France (the best known being a deck from the southern city of Marseilles). At around the same time, the name tarocchi appeared.[citation needed]
Recently, the use of Tarot for divination, or as a store of symbolism, has inspired the creation of Oracle card decks. These are card decks for inspiration or divination containing images of angels, faeries, goddesses, Power Animals, etc. Although obviously influenced by Tarot, they do not follow the traditional structure of Tarot; they lack any suits of numbered cards, and the set of cards differs from the traditional major arcana.
Le Mat (The Fool) from the Tarot of Marseilles.
Le Mat (The Fool) from the Tarot of Marseilles.
[edit] Modern deck designs
The modern, 78-card tarot deck has two distinct parts:
The Major Arcana ("greater secrets"), or trump cards, consists of 21 cards without suits, plus a 22nd card, The Fool, which is often given the value of zero: The Fool, The Magician, The High Priestess, The Empress, The Emperor, The Hierophant, The Lovers, The Chariot, Strength, The Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Justice, The Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, The Devil, The Tower, The Star, The Moon, The Sun, Judgement, and The World.
The Minor Arcana ("lesser secrets") consists of 56 cards (traditionally referred to as pips and courts[16]), divided into four suits of 14 cards each: ten numbered cards called pips and four court cards. The court cards are the page, knight, queen and king in each of the four tarot suits. The traditional Italian tarot suits are swords, batons, coins and cups; in modern tarot decks, however, the batons suit is often called wands, rods or staves, while the coins suit is often called pentacles or disks.
The terms major arcana and minor arcana are only used in esoteric practice.
[edit] Differences among decks
Le Chariot, from the Tarot of Marseilles.
Le Chariot, from the Tarot of Marseilles.
The Chariot from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck This is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
The Chariot from the Rider-Waite Tarot deck This is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
A variety of styles of tarot decks and designs have existed and a number of typical regional patterns emerged. Historically, one of the most important designs is now usually known as the Tarot de Marseilles. This standard pattern was the one studied by Court de Gébelin, and cards based on this style illustrate his Le Monde primitif. The Tarot de Marseilles was also popularized in the 20th century by Paul Marteau. Some current editions of cards based on the Marseilles design go back to a deck of a particular Marseilles design that was printed by Nicolas Conver in 1760. Other regional styles include the "Swiss" Tarot; this one substitutes Juno and Jupiter for the Papess, or High Priestess and the Pope, or Hierophant. In Florence an expanded deck called Minchiate was used; this deck of 96 cards includes astrological symbols and the four elements, as well as traditional Tarot cards.
Older decks such as the Visconti-Sforza and Marseilles are less detailed than more modern decks. A Marseilles-type deck is usually distinguished by having repetitive motifs on the pip cards as opposed to full scenes found on "Rider-Waite" style decks.
Some decks exist primarily as artwork; and such "art decks" sometimes contain only the 22 cards of the Major Arcana. Esoteric decks are often used in conjunction with the study of the Hermetic Qabala; in these decks the Major Arcana are illustrated in accordance with Qabalistic principles while the numbered suit cards (2 through 10) sometimes bear only stylized renderings of the suit symbol. However, under the influence of the Rider-Waite-Smith deck, decks used in the English-speaking world for divination often bear illustrated scenes on the numeric cards to facilitate divination. The more simply illustrated "Marseilles" style decks are nevertheless used esoterically, for divination, and previously for game play. (Note that the French card game of tarot is now generally played using a relatively modern 19th-century design of German origin. Such Tarot decks generally have 21 trumps with genre scenes from 19th-century life, a Fool, and have court and pip cards that closely resemble today's French playing cards.)
Modern deck design in common use for French Tarot card game
Modern deck design in common use for French Tarot card game
An influential deck in English-speaking countries is the Rider-Waite deck (sometimes called simply the Rider deck). (See also discussion of the general expression "Rider-Waite-Smith" below, to indicate a category of decks that includes the "Rider-Waite" deck as well as decks which use the line drawings of the Rider-Waite deck, such as the Universal Waite deck, or decks using scenes on the pip cards as opposed to simple motif repetition.) (In contrast, in French-speaking countries as well as in Italy, the Marseilles deck enjoys the equivalent popularity.) The images were drawn by artist Pamela Colman-Smith, to the instructions of Christian mystic and occultist Arthur Edward Waite, and originally published by the Rider Company in 1910. While the deck is sometimes known as a simple, user-friendly one, its imagery, especially in the Trumps, is complex and replete with occult symbolism. The subjects of the trumps are based on those of the earliest decks, but have been significantly modified to reflect Waite and Smith's view of Tarot. An important difference from Marseilles-style decks is that Smith drew scenes on the numeric cards to depict divinatory meanings; those divinatory meanings derive, in great part, from traditional cartomantic divinatory meanings (e.g., Etteilla and others) and from divinatory meanings first espoused by The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, of which both Waite and Smith were members. However, it isn't the first deck to include completely illustrated numeric cards. The first to do so was the 15th-century Sola-Busca deck; however, in this case, the illustrations apparently were not made to facilitate divination.
The Magician, card number 1 in what cartomancers call the "major arcana".This is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
The Magician, card number 1 in what cartomancers call the "major arcana".This is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
Numerous other decks that are loosely based on Rider-Waite (as noted below) have been published from the mid-20th century through today. They are sometimes called Rider-Waite-Smith clones; however, the term is misleading. They are not exact copies as the term clone would imply. Instead, they are variations.
The Tower from the Rider-Waite Tarot deckThis is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
The Tower from the Rider-Waite Tarot deckThis is a recolored image of a card in the Rider-Waite tarot deck. The quality of colors may differ slightly from the US Games versions.
The Tower from the Tarot of Marseilles
The Tower from the Tarot of Marseilles
A widely-used modernist esoteric Tarot deck is Aleister Crowley's Thoth Tarot (pronounced /təʊt/ or /θɒθ/). Crowley, at the height of a lifetime's work dedicated to occultism, engaged the artist Lady Frieda Harris to paint the cards for the deck, according to his specifications. It remains the most visually and symbolically sophisticated deck ever printed. His system of Tarot correspondences, published in The Book of Thoth & Liber 777, are an evolution and expansion upon that which he learnt in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, and resolve certain issues of balance found in eariler designs.
In contrast to the Thoth deck's colourfulness, the illustrations on Paul Foster Case's B.O.T.A. Tarot deck are black line drawings on white cards; this is an unlaminated deck intended to be coloured by its owner. Other esoteric decks include the Golden Dawn Tarot, which is apparently based on a deck by SL MacGregor Mathers. Numerous other decks exist, including the Tree of Life Tarot whose cards are stark symbolic catalogs, the Cosmic Tarot, and The Alchemical Tarot that combines traditional alchemical symbols with tarot images.
The Marseilles-style Tarot decks generally feature numbered minor arcana cards that look very much like the pip cards of modern playing card decks. The Marseilles' numbered minor arcana cards do not have scenes depicted on them; rather, they sport a geometric arrangement of the number of suit symbols (e.g., swords, rods, cups, coins) corresponding to the number of the card (accompanied by botanical and other non-scenic flourishes), while the court cards are often illustrated with flat, two-dimensional drawings.
Other modern decks created since the time of the first publishing of the Rider-Waite deck in 1909 vary in their card imagery. The variety is almost endless, and grows yearly. For instance, cat-lovers may have the Tarot of the Cat People, a deck replete with cats in every picture. The Tarot of the Witches and the Aquarian Tarot retain the conventional cards with varying designs.
These modern decks change the cards to varying degrees. For example, the Motherpeace Tarot is notable for its circular cards and feminist angle: the mainly male characters have been replaced by females. The Tarot of Baseball has suits of bats, mitts, balls and bases; "coaches" and "MVPs" instead of Queens and Kings; and major arcana cards like "The Catcher", "The Rule Book" and "Batting a Thousand". In the Silicon Valley Tarot, major arcana cards include The Hacker, Flame War, The Layoff and The Garage; the suits are Networks, Cubicles, Disks and Hosts; the court cards CIO, Salesman, Marketeer and New Hire. Another tarot in recent years has been the Robin Wood Tarot. This deck retains the Rider-Waite theme while adding some very soft and colorful Pagan symbolism. As with other decks, the cards are available with a companion book written by Ms. Wood which details all of the symbolism and colors utilized in the Major and Minor Arcana.
Unconventionality is taken to an extreme by Morgan's Tarot, produced in 1970 by Morgan Robbins and illustrated by Darshan Chorpash Zenith. Morgan's Tarot has no suits, no card ranking and no explicit order of the cards. It has 88 cards rather than the more conventional 78, and its simple line drawings show a strong influence from the psychedelic era. Nevertheless, Robbins claims spiritual inspiration for the cards and cites the influence of Tibetan Buddhism in particular. Furthermore their effectiveness for divination - cited as early as 1975 in Bill Butler in The Definitive Tarot - may explain the enduring undercurrent of their popularity.[citation needed]
“塔羅”一詞，是取自埃及語的tar(道）和ro(王）兩詞，含有“王道”的意思。因此，“塔羅”本身也就是指身為王者，他應該具備的正確決斷力，這也正是這種占卜方式的起源。
塔羅的起源是一個神秘的傳說，但它的真實面目還未得到證實。
據傳，塔羅一開始並不是以牌的形式在流傳，而是一部書，據說是用來傳達神的旨意的神秘之書。
塔羅之風盛行於中世紀的歐洲，當時的教會認為塔羅是邪魔之物而進行打壓，但在人民的保護之下才得以流傳下來。塔羅牌是由22張圖畫牌(大阿爾克那)與56張在套用塔羅牌時，使用整付或只使用大阿爾克那牌都是可以的。每次抽出的牌都很重要，牌與牌之間的相對位置也很重要。解讀塔羅牌有不同的規則，有隻使用三張的簡易法，也有傳統的凱爾特人交叉法，英格蘭法和占星法等數字牌(小阿爾克那)所組合而成。小阿爾克那牌的四種花色的含義如下：
大棒：代表元素火，象徵激情、能量和創造。
圓盤：代表元素圖，象徵金錢、物質和享受。
金杯：代表元素水，象徵情感、關係、愛和靈感。
寶劍：代表元素氣，象徵思想、智慧、交流和衝突。
轉自：和平曙光
不同的結社體系，在開牌、封牌、占卜儀式方面會有不同，不過大體上的意思都是差不多的。雖然其實並不需要拘泥形式，但是有些人是需要儀式來加強對牌的信任，另外比較正式的活動中，儀式也是必不可少的。 開牌儀式－－聖別儀式
所謂開牌儀式，就是剛剛買到牌之後，為了給牌消磁而進行的儀式。當然，並不是必須的，只是一些人的習慣而已。
聖別儀式準備工作
首先要有四大元素，就是桌上擺的那些東西：
火-蠟燭或爐香，像偉特版塔羅牌里女祭司長用的那種香爐。
土-石頭，用礦石或水晶感覺會比普通石頭來得好的感覺。
風-刀、劍等有「鋒利」含意之物，但不必真的用開鋒過的刀，像是漂亮的拆信刀就很適合。
水-漂亮的杯子，千萬別用馬克杯或咖啡杯，那太……有人用海螺，很有創意。
其實並不需要太拘泥於形式，只要是能代表四元素就可以了。很多地方所寫的代表物都不同，不必因此困擾。
這些東西最好是特別拿來作為儀式用，別拿已經使用過的生日蠟燭、杯子來用，嘿、嘿，感覺不太好喔，其實除了聖別儀式外，平時占卜時也可以把這些傢伙擺出來，聽說會有四元素的力量暗中做手腳……，哈！開玩笑的，是會有更神奇的效果，不過我平常才懶得弄這些東西，太麻煩了。
一、 冥想
冥想就和平時占卜時的冥想一樣，儘量做到無所思，眼觀鼻，鼻觀心的境界。
二、 祈禱文—開啟、復活、聯繫
至於祈禱文的作用是用來開啟新牌、使塔羅精神復活、與宇宙聯繫，內容自撰，可參考漫畫《精靈使》里的訂契約儀式內容： 「豎耳傾聽我的聲音的所有的精靈啊！ 汝在月之王之下，將未完成的魔力之刻印，印於吾身！ 授與吾右手力量，授與吾左手精神， 汝所追求之命運 ，吾自當盡吾全力，為汝開拓！ 契！」 像這樣就是很完美的祈禱文，開啟、復活、聯繫的精神都有。
三、 過香〈順時針〉
過香就像廟裡拜拜時一樣，拿牌在香爐上依順時針方向過一圈就行了。
四、 水之五芒〈手指沾水空中畫五芒星〉
畫五芒時要注意，第一划從下往上劃，依序畫向五個頂點。也就是說：從底點開始，畫向上方的最高點，最後終於原底點。
五、 冥想
六、 讀牌
讀牌時要一張一張的拿來讀，所以會花去相當多的時間和精神，要特別注意。
七、 初占卜：善意
初占卜就是這副牌的處女占卜，內容不拘，但是以詢問自身和牌的問題為主，例如問牌覺得和自己合不合得來、或是彼此對於塔羅精神是 否一致……等的問題
八、 收牌
收牌即如同平日收牌的程式，依序收好牌，一邊收一邊穩定思緒，收妥後以冥想做結，再放進收牌的盒子裡就行了。
P·S 收牌順序為大阿爾克那由0-21，小阿爾克那火-地-風-水。
不同系統的開牌方式多少有些不同，這裡貼出的，僅供參考。
占卜儀式
一般算牌前有幾點非常重要:
1. 清潔... 手, 桌子, 要乾淨...
2. 清靜... 能不被外來的 "邪魔" 打擾...
3. 保秘... 不對外宣揚詢問者的隱私...
4. 冥想... 對環境以冥想淨化...
對問題以冥想的方式反射出解答 其中冥想是最能影響占卜的結果.... 要成為一位好的占卜師, 最要緊的便是要能掌握冥想法:
a 占卜前, 先冥想... 想像以自身為中心...四周環繞一個 圓...圓里無一切...安靜, 空蕩如宇宙....
b 再想圓的四周各有一股能量 風, 火, 水, 土, 請求它們給予力量.... 再想... 想像這四股能量正在 圓內聚集...漸漸的匯入自身....
至此...準備告一段落才開牌...
當得知對方的問題時, 可以開始冥想.... 或許... 請求 詢問者一起冥想問題...感受等.... 若是能握住對方的手一起冥想 效果更好...( 若是覺得尷尬, 也可以由你拿牌, 再請對方把手放在 牌上. )...冥想至有感應時再開始洗牌....
解牌.... 其中不停止延續冥 想 ....
當問題問完之後..... 可以準備收牌....
塔羅牌不是算命
隨著現在網路的普及與高科技的發展，線上占卜、網路算命等形式被廣泛傳播，很多朋友、尤其是青少年朋友對此痴迷不已，但隨著越來越多錯誤方法的引導，使大家覺得塔羅牌是用來算命預測的，其實不然。什麼是塔羅牌？塔羅牌從何而來？它的作用到底是什麼？我在下面作一個簡單的介紹：
塔羅牌是西方的一種占卜術，與東方的易理不同，它並不是算命，塔羅牌只是在幫你窺測生命的一隅！它確實有占卜的功能，卻與算命的理念是背道而馳的。所謂命運是偶然中的必然，也是必然中的偶然，在你所遇之事、之人、之環境的諸多排列組合之後，便形成命運，常常有人說“命由天定，事在人為”，塔羅牌便是在告訴你命運是任何人與事，甚至是上天都不能操控的，因為命運在我們自己的手裡，它會因我們的決定、選擇、認知的不同而使得命運有所變化。所以塔羅牌在告訴你命運中將會出現的多種可能性的同時，也會告訴你應付的方法和對策，甚至告訴你應該用一個怎樣的正確的態度來面對人生。這與“命皆由天定、半點不由人”的思想是完全不同的。
還有一些人盲目跟風，覺得塔羅牌現在很流行於是就去占卜，其實連什麼是塔羅都沒弄明白。我們受到幾千年來中國封建傳統文化的影響，對算命打卦很是迷信，而塔羅牌其實在告訴你不要迷信，要相信自己！這才是你使用塔羅牌的真正意義所在！如果你不能做到，請不要來污辱塔羅牌，這是我們這些作出極大努力想把它拉入正途的人所不希望見到的。
在使用以及占卜塔羅牌之前，請你靜下心來多看看能給出正確引導的文章，不要盲目而痴妄地就進行塔羅牌的占卜，請尊重塔羅牌，尊重自己，像對待我們東方文化那樣正確認識西方的文化，取精祛糟，用正確的心理來看待占卜，不要迷信。
關於如何召喚節界精靈^^^^^^^^^^
日期：春分（一年四季中白天和黑夜平均的日子，又稱『平衡點』也是能
量最強的一天，它代表穀神、生命的起點、萬物甦醒的日子）
時間：午夜十二點
方位：東方風神、西方水神、北方大地之神、南方火神
在方位上的放置：東方－銀色的劍、西方－裝有純淨水的玻璃杯並插上一
枝玫瑰花、北方－帶著種子的稻草堆及錢幣（銀色為主）、南方－由七根
蠟燭所點燃的六芒星陣（其中一枝點在正中央）
桌子－蓋上黑色的桌子，位置在四個方位的交集點，並朝向西方。桌子的
左邊點上太陽蠟燭（金色或黃色塗有乳香的蠟燭）右邊點上月亮蠟燭（銀
色或白色塗有茉莉的蠟燭）桌子中央放上你的影子書。
一個用來焚燒香料的大鍋，放入香桃木、柏木、肉桂枝及橡樹枝燃燒。
一支小刀及裝有蘋果醋或紅酒的水杯，在左手食指用小刀輕輕的刺一下
（記得先消毒一下）滴入幾滴血在杯中。
咒文－先面朝東方，再依咒文的方位往南、西、北方念咒
『 東方的守護者，氣及創造的神明，我召喚你
南方的守護者，火及生命的神明，我召喚你
西方的守護者，水及力量的神明，我召喚你
北方的守護者，大地及重生的神明，我召喚你 』咒文重複三次
喝下裝有血的蘋果醋或紅酒後大聲念出
『 白晝之光、黑夜之神，風呀、火呀、水呀、大地呀，我的天使、我的
神靈，請出現在我的面前，聽我召喚聽我命令 』邊念邊想著你要召喚
的對象如果有他的名字更好。
如果儀式成功，你將會看到燃燒中的香材所產生的煙正在凝聚成形，那就
是你的守護神或是你請來的神祇，但是請注意，千萬不要拿招喚儀式來開
玩笑，有些人的靈能力很強，能夠輕易的請到他所招喚的對象，在招喚它
之前，請三思，不然後果請自行負責。
這個招喚守護神的儀式原名叫『朵爾斯之門』是用來呼喚第六世界的
神靈、精靈、鬼怪等，在國外曾有人開玩笑的請靈界的朋友出現，結果事
後惡運連連導致全家自殺的事件。
在招喚儀式之前請先在自己站的位置外1．3公尺做一個保護圈，可
以粗鹽及艾草、薰衣草、月桂葉、玫瑰花瓣、硃砂、迷迭香等來做保護
圈，最好也在身上塗上麝香來保護自己的身體。
招喚儀式所需的能量非常大可以佩帶些水晶來增強力量，身體不適時
請勿啟用，也請保持身體的潔淨，以免穢氣引來惡靈。
『小阿卡納』所有牌意解釋
一、金杯、聖餐杯、紅心牌
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金杯1：家庭生活的幸福。其他一些相關的牌將為它注入更多的內涵，因而我們可以看到賓客的來訪、搬家、爭吵架、宴席和聚會。
金杯2：成功和好運，但細心和專心是獲得它們的必要條件。
金杯3：輕率、魯莽的決定會給良好的事業帶來厄運。
金杯4：不容易說服的人，未婚男子或未婚女子，推遲的婚姻。
金杯5：毫無根據的嫉妒，缺乏果斷誤了大事，而且逃避責任。
金杯6：輕信。你容易被騙，特別是被不只得信任的同伴欺騙。
金杯7：善變和食言。要提防過分樂觀的朋友或沒有主見的熟人。
金杯8：令人愉快的公司和良好的友誼，聚會和有計畫的慶祝活動。
金杯9：夢裡和願望實現，好運和財富。
金杯10：家庭幸福，或許能得到預料之外的成功與好訊息。
金杯男僕：一個永久的親密朋友，或許是分別很久的童年朋友、初戀情人。
金杯騎士：一個假朋友，一個來自遠方的陌生人、勾引者，應把握當前的命運。
金杯皇后：一個忠誠、鐘情的女人，溫柔大方，惹人憐愛。
金杯國王：一個誠實、善意的男子，但容易草率的作出決定，因此不是一個可以依賴的人，也不要指望從他那裡得到有益的忠告。
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二、桿、權杖、梅花牌
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權杖1：財富和事業的成功，終身的朋友和寧靜的心境。
權杖2：失望，來自朋友和生意夥伴的反對。
權杖3：不止一次婚姻。可能和一個人訂婚很長時間之後，卻突然和另一個人結婚。
權杖4：謹防一個項目的失敗。這個失敗可能帶來經濟損失，或者由於缺少資金，讓項目中途流產。虛假和不可靠的朋友起到了破壞作用。
權杖5：娶一個富婆。
權杖6：有利可圖的合夥經營。
權杖7：好運和幸福，但應該謹防某個異性。
權杖8：貪婪，可能會花掉不屬於自己的錢。
權杖9：和朋友的辯論，固執的爭吵。
權杖10：意想不到的好運，一次長途旅行，但也可能會失去一個親密朋友。
權杖男僕：一個誠摯但又缺乏耐心的朋友，善意的奉承。
權杖騎士：幸運地得到了親人的幫助，或者是陌生人的幫助。
權杖皇后：一個親切善良的女人，但愛發脾氣。
權杖國王：一個誠摯的男人，慷慨忠實。
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三、劍、黑桃
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劍1：不幸，壞訊息，死亡的訊息，充滿妒忌的情感。
劍2：變化，遷移，失去家庭，分離。
劍3：一次旅行，愛情或婚姻的不幸。
劍4：疾病，經濟困難，嫉妒，各種小災難會拖延手裡的工作。
劍5：生意成功、融洽和諧的夥伴關係，但卻需要克服困難。注意謹防壞脾氣和氣餒。
劍6：只要堅忍不拔的毅力，才能幫你完成計畫。
劍7：與朋友爭吵，招來很多麻煩。
劍8：在你所有的事業中都要謹慎，那些看似朋友的人，可能會成為你的敵人。
劍9：一般認為是所有牌中最不吉利的一張，它可能表示疾病、災難和各種各樣的不幸。
劍10：另一張不幸的牌，悲傷或監禁，否定了一切的好兆頭。
劍男僕：一個懶惰或嫉妒的人，事業中的障礙，或許是一個騙子，甚至可能是商業間諜。
劍騎士：傳奇中的豪俠人物，喜好奢侈和放縱，但非常勇敢，富於創業精神。
劍皇后：奸詐，不忠，惡毒，一個寡婦或被拋棄的人。
劍國王：一個野心勃勃，妄想凌駕一切的人。
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四、硬幣、五角星、方塊
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星1：一個重要的訊息，或者一件珍貴的禮物。
星2：熱戀，但會遭到朋友的反對。
星3：爭吵，官司，或者家庭糾紛。
星4：不幸或秘密的被判，來自於不忠誠的朋友，或者是因為你長久忽視了對方。
星5：意外的訊息，可能帶來生意的成功，願望能夠實現，或一樁美滿的婚姻。
星6：早婚，但也會早早的結束，而且第二次婚姻也沒有好兆頭。
星7：謊言，謠言，惡意的批評，運氣糟糕的賭徒。
星8：晚年婚姻，或許是一次旅行，可能會帶來兩者的結合。
星9：具有強烈的旅行願望，嗜好冒險，渴望看到生命的改變。
星10：把錢作為行動的目標，但並不一定會如願以償。
星男僕：一個自私、嫉妒的親戚，或一個帶來壞訊息的使者。
星騎士：一個有耐心又有橫心的男人，發明家或科學家。
星皇后：賣弄風情的女人，樂於干涉別人的事情，誹謗和謠言。
星國王：一個脾氣粗暴的男人，固執而充滿了復仇心，與他對抗會招來危險。
