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Tarot cards are like mirrors which reflect unsuspected knowledge buried deep in the unconscious mind. This teach-yourself guide to reading the cards is designed to help activate and stimulate your innate sensitivity as a first step in developing intuition - the hallmark of the serious Tarot reader.

Written by an expert Tarot teacher and trained therapist, The Complete Book of Tarot takes you through the cards, uncovering clues to the historical, mystical and psychological spirit of this ancient system of revealing past, present and future. Juliet Sharman-Burke teaches you how to read them and interpret their divine significance.

Whether you want to interpret the cards for others, or use them to help gain a much deeper and more revealing understanding of yourself, you will find The Complete Book of Tarot both instinctive and inspiring.

Copyright 1985, St. Martin's Press
ISBN 0-312-00579-2

What exactly IS Tarot?

The Tarot are a set of 78 cards similar in design to a modern deck of playing cards, but with certain differences. By laying out of these cards in certain patterns, and focusing on the concerns of the questioner/subject, the card reader is able to expand the subject's point of view or frame of reference to their concerns, and thereby (hopefully) ascertain what is to come and to select a suitable course of future actions.

How exactly does it work?

Tarot decks (or tarokka) are a set of 78 cards with all manner of colorful depictions on them. While the detail of each set of cards varies from deck to deck, the basic setup is the same. There are two divisions of cards: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana.

The 22 cards of the Major Arcana feature an assortment of characters, images and symbols prominent in most forms of ancient religions and mythologies (i.e., The Sun, The Moon, The Star, The Devil, Death, Judgment, Temperance, Strength). These 22 Major cards are considered the primal forces shaping either the subject's personality, or outside forces acting upon that subject. The "Fool" card is considered a true wild card, much like the Joker in the traditional playing card deck. In many ways, The Fool represents the Subject of the reading him/herself; the Fool journeys through the deck, much the way the Subject is taking a journey through their own existence.

SUIT	PHYSICAL	SPIRITUAL
Wands	Fire	Creative Spark, Intuition, Instincts
Cups	Water	Feelings/Emotions, The Unconscious Realms
Swords	Air	Logic/Reason, Action, The Conscious Realms
Pentacles	Earth	Material Wealth, The Physical, The Five Senses

All of the suits are in balance with one another. Through their interplay, we see that no one suit is more important or less important than the others. Rational thought applied to a situation without the application of feeling/emotion could result in a decision that is callous or cruel. Inactivity in the face of overwhelming emotion could result in indecision or a loss of sight of the desired goal. Concentrating too heavily on the physical without rational thought or emotion results in a soulless vacuum dedicated only to the acquisition of more and more material wealth, without reagard to the source. Again, a balance is most desirable.

By laying out the cards in any of a variety of patterns (called "spreads") the reader attempts to place the subject within a "cosmic perspective". That is, who is the subject, and how does the subject relate to the physical and spiritual world around him/her. Outside influences and inner conflicts are also sometimes revealed in the spread. Where exactly the different cards fall in the spread will have a direct bearing on their interpretation. Ultimately, the interpretation of the cards will lie with the subject.

So how does the Tarot grant me this "cosmic knowledge" I have been hearing so much about?

The primary goal of the Tarot cards is to help us achieve a balance. All things in the universe, Tarot postulates, exist in a balance. If the balance is upset, it can cause difficulties for the subject. By examining what is out of balance and taking action to correct it, one can assume that balance will be restored and the concerns will be suitably discharged.

Balance is necessary in the natural world, in our own physical and mental well-being. Balance is integral to your diet, and to the types of stimulus your senses receive. Balance is one of the founding principals of commerce, journalism and debate. It is a cornerstone of many faiths. Maintaining balance helps us to thrive and grow as human beings, and hopefully become more well-rounded and well-adjusted individuals.

How did Tarot originate?

Nobody is exactly sure where and how the first true deck of Tarot cards was created. It is said that Tarot have existed in most ancient cultures of the world, including during the time of the Pharoahs in Egypt, during the great Manchu and Ming Dynasties of the Far East, during the Holy Crusades through Europe and Asia, and even in some forms through primitive Latin and South America.

The richness and variety of the Tarot links at its roots to many of the assorted traditional religions of the ancient world, as well as in the more common cultural and social norms of their days, coupled with a variety of secret societies, cults, and mystical and spiritual organizations. The assortment of images and storylines in the Tarot deck shown on this website includes imagery from Greek and Roman Mythology, the European Zodiac, the Chinese Zodiac, the Kabbalah, the Old and New Testaments, the Hindu religion, and many others.

Like many other forms of spiritual and non-traditional religious practices, Tarot received a bad rap during the initial days of the purges of old world religions by the Holy Roman Empire, and later the Crusades, the Spanish Inquisition, and the Salem Witch trials. To use physical objects like Tarot cards, tea leaves or crystal orbs as a means of prophecy was considered heresy. And many innocent persons were executed by an overzealous public. (This in spite of many medievel and Renaissance rulers hiring court astrologers and soothsayers to provide them with what could be considered forbidden arcane knowledge at that time.)

How can I get into reading Tarot Cards on my own?

The easiest way is to stop by most popular book stores, magic shops or mystical/new age stores. These places usually sell a variety of Tarot decks for all interest levels, along with instructional books and suggested spreads. Here are some decks that you may find interesting:

• The Rider Waite Tarot Deck - shown on this website, and seen briefly in the film, "Clive Barker's Lord of Illusions". (Incidentally, I am not the Kevin J. O'Connor who stars in that film!)
• The Tarot of the Witches - designed by Fergus Hall, and seen in the James Bond movie, "Live and Let Die"
• Tarot of the Cat People - Assorted Egyptian inspired imagery with anthropomorphic cats as a central theme
• The Aquarian Tarot - Harlequin designs
• Dragon Tarot - Medievel dragon designs
• Middle Earth Tarot - based upon the characters and situations in JRR Tolkein's "Lord of the Rings" epic

Once you have a deck that you like, a book is recommended; preferably a book that utilizes the same deck that you are using. In addition to The Complete Book of Tarot by Juliet Sharman-Burke, there are also "Dummies" and "Complete Idiot's Guide" to Tarot, which can be found in the self-help and Spiritual sections of most popular bookstores. I found them immensely useful... No comments from the Peanut Gallery, please!

Above all, have fun with it... This is supposed to be an enjoyable pastime, not an all-consuming lifestyle in which you cannot make even the simplest decisions without consulting your cards. A Boston-based astrologer was fond of signing off his radio spots by informing the public that "It's a wise man who rules the stars... It's a fool who's ruled BY them..."

EEEK!! I have just read my cards, and I have seen something terrible in my future... What can I do?

What can you do? First, GET A GRIP! This site was created to be fun and interesting... Not to send you or anyone else into a panic. If the cards are telling you something that makes you nervous or afraid, then one of two things are happening:

1. You have interpreted something unnerving in the cards as it pertains to your own life or situation. If this is the case, then there is probably already a nagging concern or doubt about this aspect of your life... The cards only brought it to the forefront of your mind. Ask yourself what it is that you are really fearful of, and how you can confront the problem and effectively deal with it? Perhaps this would be a good follow-up question to read in the cards, but let common sense and good judgment be your guide.
   
   
2. You may have seen the "Death" or "Devil" card, or some other ominous-looking card in a badly placed position, and you are fearful of some evil omen acting upon you. This is what we call "superstition". In other words, don't panic! These cards are not some "evil thing" out to cast fear and doubt into your heart... They are small pieces of plastic-coated paper with colorful pictures and symbols on them. Nothing more.

The primary idea behind the use of Tarot cards is just to get you thinking about your own life, and your place in the world, so that you can address whatever issues you may have. It is not meant to give you a whole new series of issues.

Is this witchcraft? Am I going to damn my eternal soul by even looking at these things?

Is this witchcraft? Well, that depends on how you define witchcraft. Witchcraft, as I understand it, is very much a religion, like Christianity, Buddhism, or Judaism. Witchcraft has received a bad rap from the days of the Crusades and Spanish Inquisition, the Salem Witch Trials, right up through to the days of modern-day Satan Worshipping and new-age Scientology.

Those most closely associated with witchcraft here in the early 21st Century are actually "Wiccans". Wiccanism is a religion (or perhaps more appropriately, a philosophy) that seeks harmony and oneness with the earth. So far as I have learned, there are no blood sacrifices, creepy cauldron churning, or other such Salem-inspired nonsense associated with true Wiccanism. If I understand them correctly, Wiccans do not "worship the devil" as many have falsely claimed, because, in a Wiccan's eyes, the Devil does not exist. Wiccans are another much-maligned group who are persecuted merely because they are slightly different.

Hollywood is little help. In spite of the claims of left wingers' working in the movie and television business that they are progressive and tolerant, the fact is that seeing Tarot cards used in the movies or on TV puts the same tired spin on them that AIDS put on the sexual revolution. The characters in these shows allegedly use the "black arts" to further some evil goal, and usually get their comeuppance by some righteous hero brandishing common sense, a gun or sword, and a Bible...

Are you going to damn your eternal soul? Truthfully, I doubt it. I imagine that much of the stigma associated with the Tarot being "evil" comes from the presence of the Devil and Death cards within the deck - two items that make a lot of people extremely itchy.

But let's look at it from a different perspective:

Death is the one constant in the universe. It exists, and our entire lives on this world are spent delaying its arrival by any means possible... through prayer, good diet, exercise, herbal remedies, shelter, modern medicine, career, etc. Basically everything you do all day every day is a means of keeping Death at bay.

Likewise, virtually every religion in practice today has some form of a creature called "The Devil". He is to be avoided, shunned, cast out, etc. He is the ultimate evil, and he is responsible for untold death, suffering and misery in the world. If it can be assumed that Tarot is a toolr or instrument of evil because it references Death and the Devil, then it stands to reason that anyone who practices any religion is most likely also damned to hell. So what difference will it make if you decide to seek a little spiritual guidance and comfort from a deck of Tarot cards available over the counter at any bookstore in the country?

Some people tend to make more out of the cards than is actually there. For example, many stories abounded after September 11, 2001 that many spiritualists and Tarot readers continually drew the "Tower" card (a symbol of violent upheaval and destruction which features the image of a giant tower being hit by a lightning bolt, and people hurling themselves from the resulting fire). Such stories are, in all likelihood, either merely coincidence or someone looking for their fifteen minutes of fame. You will note that there were no significant warnings in any media outlets. If enough psychics had had a powerful vision like this, they would probably have made a lot more noise about it.

In some cases, truly ignorant and dangerous people use Tarot as a means of furthering their own idiotic rantings. In the Spring of 2003, a couple of nutcases in the Washington DC Beltway area used a sniper rifle and a beat-up Sedan to kill or wound over a dozen people. While they are damned in the eyes of the law and in God's eyes for their despicalbe crime, they were already damned when one of them decided to leave a "Death" Tarot card at the scene of one of the murders. He could have left a standard "Community Chest" card and nobody would have rushed out and burned their "Monopoly" games.

I have put this site here strictly for informational and entertainment purposes. I had a lot of fun creating it, primarily because the technical aspects of designing it were a challenge and increased my knowledge of JavaScript, and the entertainment aspect of it only provided me with additional inspiration and reinforcement of my knowledge of Tarot. I do not believe that providing knowledge is inherently evil any more than seeking knowledge is evil. Furthermore, I do not believe that providing an interesting and intriguing diversion on my website is evil. If you disagree, you are most likely either very narrow-minded, or a Bible-thumping zealot, (I find that some people who fit into the former category usually slide right into place in the latter, also.)

This site is not meant to preach any religion or lifestyle, nor is it intended to insult or persecute anyone else's religion. If you have become insulted or feel persecuted by anything you read here, please read the last three sentences of the previous paragraph. The intention of this site is merely to demonstrate a practical application of JavaScript as an interesting diversion for those that have more than a passing interest in Tarot.

In short, you have nothing more to fear from handling a deck of Tarot cards than you would handling a regular deck of playing cards, a Ouija Board, or a game of Trivial Pursuit. If you are still having doubts about the salvation of your soul just because you have been intrigued by Tarot cards, you probably need to consult a trusted spiritual advisor (your priest, rabbi, mullah, reverend, or other trusted clergyman/woman). Maybe do a few selfless acts of kindness, go to confession, give time and money to charity, volunteer your time or facilities, or do something else that would be considered spiritually redeeming.