Secrets of the Tarot

By Anthony Wolff

Have You ever wondered what the future may hold for you?

Have you ever wished you could have insight into your own path and have the answers you've always wanted NOW??

Written for the reader as well as those just interested in the mysteries of the ancient Tarot Deck, Secrets of the Tarot, is the only guide you'll need to one of the oldest divination methods in history.

In this book you'll learn the true meanings behind every card in the deck.

You'll learn how to lay spreads and interpret them as well as how the cards relate to each other.

For the readers, there is a section on how to conduct your first reading (and how to get paid to do so).

Whether you are a reader or someone who enjoys getting readings, this book will help you to fully understand the mysteries of the Tarot.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Lulu.com
• Release date: Jan 5, 2015
• ISBN: 9781312755918

Anthony Wolff

To the author, Anthony Wolff is more than a pseudonym. It’s a dedication to one of the finest men who ever graced the planet. Anthony Wolff, the author, who is paying tribute to Anthony Wolff, the great guy, is a fully ordained Zen Buddhist Priest. The reader may question Wolff’s literary credentials. It’s a free country, or at least used to be. Wolff’s clerical credentials, however, are pretty impressive even to the most jaded among us. Wolff was the first American to be ordained in The People’s Republic of China since the Communist Revolution. No small potatoes. The ordination took place in the hallowed precincts of Nan Hua Si, the monastery founded by 6th Patriarch Hui Neng in AD 675. The reader may be assured that the wisdom that drips from every cracked line is good Zen stuff. Wolff knows the detectives who have solved these cases. They aren’t perfect people, but since there are no perfect people on the planet, that is hardly news. Their actions are more eloquent than anything Wolff is capable of writing.

Book preview

Secrets of the Tarot

By

Anthony Wolff

Copyright img1.png 2014 by Anthony Guido

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced, shared or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review or scholarly journal.

First Printing 2014

ISBN #978-1-312-75591-8

Anthony Guido

Farmingdale, NY, 11735

www.mindmeltermagic.com

Dedication:

This book is dedicated to my beautiful wife Erica for all her support and love

Grace Andresini for introducing me to the wonders of the Tarot.

Carol for inspiring me to finish this, my first venture into the literary world

And you for taking that step into the world of Tarot.

Table of Contents

The Major Arcana

The Minor Arcana

The Court Cards

The RoYal Court

Spreads

The Real Secret of Tarot

How to Use this Book:

First off, thank you for purchasing Secrets of the Tarot, I hope you enjoy our Fool’s journey together as we explore the mystery of one of the worlds most popular and ancient divination methods.

This book is best used alongside a Tarot deck, although if you do not have one yet, you can still read along although you will be at a disadvantage as Tarot is a very visual medium and seeing the cards helps to lock the concepts into your memory. If you are in the market for a tarot deck, check out www.mindmeltermagic.com for some great deals on tarot and related materials.

This book is written as a guide for beginners or intermediates to the art of Tarot, as the advanced reader may find most of the information basic. The intermediate reader will find the most use within the chapters discussing the spreads I often use, as they are unique spreads possibly never seen before.

I suggest the reader to start with the Major Arcana and familiarize themselves with that. Later on in the book we will go over ways to help test your knowledge, but for now it is best to start in the beginning.

Before you turn to the meanings of the cards, its best to help establish a framework for how readings are done and for what you can use the tarot for. Although you could technically use the tarot for anything, its use is best guided by certain principles.

Lets begin…

Conducting Your Readings:

Although you may not wish to become a reader, per se, and just want to use the tarot for your own personal divination, it is best to approach the tarot like a professional reader would to maximize the benefit you can gain from this deck.

Before even explaining how to use or touch the deck, it is important to recognize the often ritualistic ways people store there tarot decks. With repeated use, a deck will often absorb the essence of the user, not like a vampire, but in a mutual exchange of energy. To this regard it is suggested to respect your deck and keep it safe.

One of the ways this is done is with a tarot cloth, also known as an altar cloth. These are often silk and about the size of a placemat. They are placed on a table prior to a reading so the cards can be laid on a clean surface. It also frames the entire process of reading in an artistic, ritualistic way.

Most readers will keep the cloth wrapped around the deck when not in use. I personally keep my traveling deck in a drawstring bag (include photo) and I have it wrapped in a tarot cloth inside.

My professional deck I use for high end clients or when sitters come visit me in my studio is protected to a greater degree with a tarot card box. These can be found in many different designs although almost all bear a new age motif on the cover. These are great for keeping your cards safe and sound, however, they are slightly impractical for traveling. The boxes don’t fit as well on a belt or in a pocket as a drawstring bag does, but nothing can replace the feeling of pulling out an old, mysterious box, opening it, and unwrapping a tarot deck for use in a reading.

Now that you know how to carry and keep your cards safe, lets talk about the structure of a reading.

Conducting a Reading:

Ok, you’ve got your deck all set and wrapped like Christmas morning. Across from you is a sitter in dire need of universal answers. What the hell do you do??

I and all other readers have been there. Its almost as terrifying as public speaking, but bear with me, you will get over it. In this section I want to share with you the mind of the sitter. You see, you are simply a medium to an answer they are seeking. If you go into readings with the attitude of how cool you are because you are ‘psychic’, you will NOT last long in this business. You are in the service industry when you are a reader, and your job is to serve the sitter.

With this in mind, know that the sitter doesn’t particularly care where your answer comes from. I find Tarot to be unnervingly accurate and easy to use, hence that’s why I prefer it to other divination techniques. You could just as easily take this section and apply it to tea leaves, runes, I Ching, etc. Once you understand the needs of the sitter, you can do anything.

Most people coming to a reading are seeking answers. They feel lost in life, either in love or business, or god forbid health(more on this later), and have no were else to turn. I find in my practice that most new sitters are desperate for answers and are at that stage where they are beginning to seek spiritual guidance because all else has failed them. Remember this and treat them accordingly.

Also remember that at the heart of the reading is their desire for some sort of answer or resolution. Now I am not saying for you to just simply make something up to satisfy a client. NEVER DO THIS! Your job is to enlighten and embolden the client to feel better or hopeful for their future outcome. Never impart negative, heavy news to a client. Be honest, but don’t be a harbinger of destruction. Remember, to these people you speak with an almost holy authority, and they will believe your every word. Treat that with the respect it deserves and you will go far in this business.

Satisfying your clients needs is the core goal of a reading. To this regard, you need to know what they are seeking. So before going into a reading, simply ask them what areas of their life they would like clarity on. Have them form it into a question to ask the universe. Then and only then do you begin to prepare the deck for the reading.

I usually allow 2-3 questions per client depending on the length of the session and the complexity required to answer the questions. At about 8 minutes or so per question this will easily satisfy your standard 30 minute sessions. If you don’t think you can talk for 8 minutes in response to a question, don’t worry! The sitter will often talk more than you will. You simply need to be a good listener.

Listen to their responses and do not be afraid to ask questions. I see too many readers who are pretending to be a movie psychic try to simply predict every answer in silence. This is unnecessary and often not how a client perceives a reading to be at all. A dialogue between client and reader is important because they will be able to help you clarify what you are reading and you might pick up an additional insight from the card.

Ok, now you’re ready to deal the cards. Before you lay down cards, I always allow the sitter to shuffle the cards as they see fit. Let them take as long as they like. As long as they are handling the cards, they are imbuing it with their essence which will help the cards to find the appropriate answers.

After they have shuffled the cards, have them cut the deck three times with their left hand. Now collect the cards and begin to lay them as you need to for the spread you are doing (spreads will be explained in a later chapter). Its your choice if you lay an entire spread and then discuss or if you read it as you lay the cards. I prefer to lay the entire spread because its like looking at a full synopsis of the problem. All the pieces are laid out and you can make easier correlations.

At the conclusion of the reading I always knock three times on the table before wrapping the cards in their cloth and repacking the deck. Thank the client for their time and clarify anything they may have questions on. Of course be wary of them monopolizing your time. You’d be surprised just how quick 30 minutes can tick away when you discuss someone’s