Arcana Tarot Study Circle March 22nd, 2017

Our fourth meeting of the Arcana Tarot Study Group here in Osaka, Japan.
Four people attended. As usual, we began with a review of some previous material before moving into new information and working with the cards.

This time we focused on how to properly form a question before spreading the cards and doing a reading. I shared my own technique for calming the body and mind and sitting down to do a reading.

https://youtu.be/T2TkXQ37bwg

Forming a question for the Tarot cards

First we have to relax in our environment, sit comfortably, and breathe.
After you have established a tranquilly aware state of mind you can formulate a question for the cards.

It is very important to have a clear question to focus upon before shuffling and spreading the cards.

The shuffling method - the way in which the hands manipulate the cards, the possibility of taking into account reversed meanings, cutting the deck, etc...  - depends on the reader, and we spoke of several ways of doing it.

we then practiced simple one and three card draws.
After that, we took a look at the popular ten card Celtic Cross spread.

Arcana Tarot Study Circle 2/8/2017

Our third Tarot study circle met on February 8th, 2017.
Four people attended.

We opened with a brief review of what we learned previously. The Elemental attributions of the Four Suits and the interpenetration of these Four Elements within the 16 Court Cards.

Here is a short video of that review.

We talked about how intimidating it can be for people who are new to the Tarot cards to learn to memorize meanings for all 78 cards. We can surpass this difficulty by simply opening up to the imagery of the cards and finding our own associations with them.

We also spent time discussing the meanings of 'Destiny' versus 'Fate,' and on the best way to form a question before shuffling and spreading the cards that includes the idea of Free Will.

We then shuffled our decks using only the Major Arcana, drawing first only one card and looking at that. We went on to draw two more cards to complete a daily 3 Card spread and helped interpret each others cards.

It was a very interesting and satisfying experience for us.

Arcana Tarot Study Circle 1/25/2017

Our second study circle was held on Wednesday, January 25th 2017.
Eight people attended. We started with a brief review of what was covered in the first lesson, especially the Elemental correspondences of the four suits of the Minor Arcana Cards:
WANDS are Fire, CUPS are Water, SWORDS are Air, PENTACLES are Earth.

Our main focus this night was on the sixteen Court Cards. 

In a Tarot card reading we often see Court cards as representing people in our lives or forms of expression that we adopt.

There are four Court Cards in each of the four suits of the Tarot's Minor Arcana.
These four are usually labelled as KING, QUEEN, KNIGHT and PAGE.
We still see these characters in regular packs of playing cards but without the KNIGHTS, and the PAGES have been renamed Jacks.

Knights of the four suits

Each suit represents a center of human experience: 

WANDS are Making or Doing. Sexual and Creative Energy.

CUPS are Loving. Emotional Energy and Feelings. The Heart.

SWORDS are our Being. Intellectual Energy, Thought and communication.

PENTACLES are Living. Material Energy. Body, Health and the Physical.

FOUR ACES
WANDS, CUPS, COINS, SWORDS

In a similar fashion, each of the Court Cards can be seen as corresponding to these energies.
All Kings are Fire
All Queens are Water
All Knights are Air
All Pages are Earth

Therefore, according to this way of reading the elemental values of the Court Cards....

The KING OF WANDS is the FIRE of FIRE, the QUEEN OF WANDS is the WATER of FIRE, the KNIGHT OF WANDS is the AIR of FIRE and the PAGE OF WANDS is the EARTH of FIRE.

Page, Knight, Queen and King of Wands

The KING OF CUPS is the FIRE of WATER, the QUEEN OF CUPS is the WATER of WATER, the KNIGHT OF CUPS is the AIR of WATER and the PAGE OF CUPS is the EARTH of WATER.

The KING OF SWORDS is the FIRE of AIR, the QUEEN OF SWORDS is the WATER of AIR, the KNIGHT OF SWORDS is the AIR of AIR and the PAGE OF SWORDS is the EARTH of AIR.

The KING OF PENTACLES is the FIRE of EARTH, the QUEEN OF PENTACLES is the WATER of EARTH, the KNIGHT OF PENTACLES is the AIR of EARTH and the PAGE OF PENTACLES is the EARTH of EARTH.

King, Queen, Knight and Page of Pentacles (Coins)

By understanding these elemental correspondences, and the suits in which they are personified as the Courtly characters, we can have a deeper understanding of each Court Card's personality. We learned some key words regarding the characteristics of these sixteen Arcana.

We finished the lesson with a brief and simple meditation using a singing bowl as a tonal device to bring us into a place of stillness. We focused on our breathing as I offered this meditative mantra I learned long ago:

Earth my body
Water my blood
Air my breath and 
Fire my Spirit

P.S.
A question was brought up regarding the significance of the numbering of the Arcana:
Why is THE MAGICIAN number 1 ?, and THE HIGH PRIESTESS number 2 ?, and THE EMPRESS 3 ? and so on. I gave a short summary introduction to the occult significance of numbers - Numerology - as understood by the systems of Pythagoras and the Neo-Platonists. 

In the writing systems of Ancient Western cultures, letters often had a numeric value (ex.: A = 1, B = 2, etc..) and even geometric associations. This is a very deep subject and so we only glimpsed at the significance of the mathematical relationships to the Arcana and the Kabbalah. As we are still working on introducing the basic structure of the Tarot, this will be a great topic for later study and discussion.

Please feel welcome to join us if you are living in or visiting the Kansai area of Japan as we study the Tarot in more detail and how to use the Tarot as a tool to enrich your own life with the 
ARCANA TAROT STUDY GROUP in OSAKA, JAPAN.

https://www.facebook.com/ArcanaTarotOsaka/

http://www.eikaiwa-artemis.com

Course Instructor : Sonny Gardner

Born in the U.S.A.. Over 30 years of experience with Tarot, Meditation and related subjects.

Arcana Tarot Study Circle 1/11/2017

A small selection of some oracle decks on the left, some Tarot decks on the right

Our first study group on 1/11/2017

Four people total were present. A small gathering but we really enjoyed each other's company as we met and looked at the world of Tarot cards.

There are Tarot cards and there are Oracle cards and various card decks used for divination and self-transformation. I will continue to bring a various assortment of card decks from my personal collection for students to see and learn from.

We looked at a very basic outline of the structure of the Tarot. The 22 Major Arcana and the 56 Minor Arcana The Minor Arcana  being composed of 16 Court cards and the 40 "Pips" - organized into the four suits of Wands, Cups, Swords and Pentacles, each suit consisting of 10 cards marked Ace through 10, along with a King, Queen, Knight and Page or "Court" cards.

Introduced how the Tarot has been syncretized with the Qabala

We had a small taste of the depth of Tarot philosophy and how it has been syncretized with the Qabala (Cabbala, Kabbalah ...).

Explaining the basic elemental structure of the Tarot cards

Each participant practiced by putting a deck into order - 1 pack of Major Arcana and 4 packs for the Minor Arcana by suit. This is an effective meditation in itself as well as a simple way of cleansing your cards.

From the Yod to the He to the Vau to the He; or, Fire > Water > Air > Earth.

Wands = Fire = Creative and Sexual Energy

Cups = Water = Feelings and Emotional Energy 

Swords = Air = Intellectual Energy

Pentacles = Earth = Material Energy

A glimpse at The Fool's Journey

We looked towards the journey ahead as we delve deeper into the Tarot and how it can be used as a helpful tool and spiritual guide.

Please feel welcome to join us if you are living in or visiting the Kansai area of Japan
as we study the Tarot in more detail and how to use the Tarot to enrich your own life with the 
ARCANA TAROT STUDY GROUP in OSAKA, JAPAN.

https://www.facebook.com/ArcanaTarotOsaka/

http://www.eikaiwa-artemis.com

Course Instructor : Sonny Gardner

Born in the U.S.A.. Over 30 years of experience with Tarot, Meditation and related subjects.

Tarot deck is #1 selling foreign book on Amazon Japan!

I happen to live in Japan and It is a very interesting fact that, for a number of years now, the Rider - Waite - Smith Tarot deck, the most popular pack of esoteric Tarots of the last century, has persistently been ranked as the number one selling foreign language book on Amazon Japan !

left: The Giant Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot.
Right: My first Tarot deck, purchased from a book shop when I was 13 years old.

The Rider-Waite Tarot (a.k.a., the Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot) published by U.S. Games Systems ranked higher than the Official Guide to the TOEFL English test and the latest Harry Potter book on Amazon Japan!

Link: View Amazon Japan's top ranking foreign language books

Cards from the Rider -Waite -Smith Tarot

Cards from the Rider -Waite -Smith Tarot

Cards from the Rider -Waite -Smith Tarot

Key XXI THE WORLD card from the Rider -Waite -Smith Tarot

Did you know that the pack of cards known as Tarot is actually considered a book?

For centuries the pack of Tarot cards has been known as a book of esoteric or mystical knowledge and has been called... 

"God's Picture Book," 
or conversely "The Devil's Picture Book," 
or especially "The Book of Thoth," a habit started by 18th century occultists who were greatly influenced by all things Egyptian.
(Thoth being the name of the Ancient Egyptian God of Wisdom ).

BOOK OF THOTH

THOTH Tarot deck

Aleister Crowley, the 20th century's most famous (and infamous) occultist designed and created, along with artist Lady Frieda Harris, arguably one of the best esoteric Tarot packs ever created.

The Book of Thoth, or the THOTH Tarot, is also a very popular deck of Tarot cards.
We will examine this Tarot more closely in the future.

Crowley's book on the subject is                 also titled THE BOOK OF THOTH.    

My well-used copy of  'The Book of Thoth', by Aleister Crowley. 1974 Level Press
Originally published 1944.

LIVRE DE THOT / BOOK OF THOTH
French "Egyptian Tarots"
We will look more closely at these interesting Etteilla style Tarots in a future blog. For now enjoy some of the images which are unknown to many people new to Tarot.

Two old French Etteilla style tarot decks from my collection.
1. Tarot Egyptien / Livre De Thot (Egyptian Tarot / Book of Thoth). ÉDITIONS DUSSERRE
2. Grand Etteilla Ou Tarots Egyptiens. GRIMAUD

Tarot Egyptien Etteilla, Grand Jeu de Oracle des Dames, Methode d' Etteilla et du Livre de Thot.
ÉDITIONS DUSSERRE

Tarot Egyptien Etteilla, Grand Jeu de Oracle des Dames, Methode d' Etteilla et du Livre de Thot.
ÉDITIONS DUSSERRE

Tarot Egyptien Etteilla, Grand Jeu de Oracle des Dames, Methode d' Etteilla et du Livre de Thot.
ÉDITIONS DUSSERRE

Grand Etteilla Ou Tarots Egyptiens.
GRIMAUD

Grand Etteilla Ou Tarots Egyptiens.
GRIMAUD

Grand Etteilla Ou Tarots Egyptiens.
GRIMAUD

THE DEVIL'S PICTURE BOOK / 
GOD'S PICTURE BOOK

'The Devil's Picturebook, The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards' with dust jacket. From my collection.
by: Paul Huson, 1971

The Devil's Picturebook, The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards
by: Paul Huson is even more handsome without the dust jacket.
1971

The Devil's Picturebook, The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards
by: Paul Huson
1971

The Devil's Picturebook, The Compleat Guide to the Tarot Cards by: Paul Huson
1971

The Tarot pack, with it's mysterious images, figures, numerology, and symbols, has been regarded as both a simple card game by the masses and as a book of ancient wisdom to those initiated into it's deeper meaning.

If you live in Japan in the Kansai area, please join us as we study the Tarot in more detail and how to use the Tarot to enrich your own life with the 
ARCANA TAROT STUDY GROUP in OSAKA, JAPAN.

https://www.facebook.com/ArcanaTarotOsaka/

http://www.eikaiwa-artemis.com

Course Instructor : Sonny Gardner

Born in the U.S.A.. Over 30 years of experience with Tarot, Meditation and related subjects.

Egyptian Arcana: Three Egyptian Divination packs

Three Tarot and Divination card packs with an Egyptian motif.

Are you in an Egyptian mood?
If you take delight in the mysteries of Ancient Egypt you may find any of these three different packs of great interest.



EGYPTIAN TAROT DECK

The Major Arcana from The Egyptian Tarot Deck
Illustrations from 1901

The Egyptian Tarot has 78 cards in typical Ancient Egyptian artistic style, line-drawn in brown on a mottled papyrus-like background. Majors have themed titles and Tarot-like scenes, while the minors have decorated pips in suits of Pentacles, Cups, Swords and Sceptres, and courts of Slave, Warrior, Mistress and Master. 

 

The drawings were produced as illustrations for the 1901 book, Practical Astrology. The illustrations have an early Art Deco feel to them.
The booklet gives divinatory meanings.

The Suit of Sceptres (Wands) from The EGYPTIAN TAROT DECK in Qabalistic Tree of Life Pattern
illustrations from 1901

EGIPCIOS KIER TAROT

The Major Arcana from The EGIPCIOS KIER TAROT

The Egipcios Kier Tarot is a 78-card "Tarot" deck created by an Argentine occultist in the early 20th century. The deck has traditional-looking Egyptian artwork with a central gold background, and associates Hebrew letters, the Tree of Life, and other esoteric symbols with Egyptian hieroglyphs.

 

The deck is NOT in the traditional Tarot pattern beyond the first 22 Major Arcana. 

It is not organized into four suits. 

There are no designated Court Cards.


The golden backgrounds and vivid colors give the cards a vibrant energy. 

The titles, along with the symbols, assist the reader in interpreting meanings.

A handy little booklet with divinatory meanings comes with the pack.

BOOK OF DOORS Divination Deck

A pack of 65 cards, an 8-sided die, and a 256-page book

The Book of Doors Divination Deck is a 65 card oracle deck, based on the symbols and deities of Ancient Egypt.

 

This is not a Tarot deck. 

This is a system of divination based on two occult keys: 

The Emerald Tablet of Hermes Trismegistus and the magic square of Pythagoras, an initiate of the Egyptian Mysteries.

It includes an 8-sided die and prescribes a ten card spread. The back cover of the 256-page book included with the pack holds an 8 X 8 square which is also used for this system.

8 rows of 8 cards each, plus one card which serves as '0 The Fool' does in the Tarot, along with an 8-sided die.

The artwork is perhaps not the best but it succeeds in interpreting the ideas presented.
A great amount of knowledge went into the formulation of this somewhat complex system.

A great deal of information about the Gods and Goddesses from Egyptian mythology is covered in THE BOOK OF DOORS book.

The Deities, or "Neteru" as they are called here, are divided into 8 "Families".
The 8 is a formula of unfoldment, or becoming, akin to Alchemy.

Back of the box

Please join us as we study the Tarot in more detail and how to use the Tarot to enrich your own life with the 
ARCANA TAROT STUDY GROUP in OSAKA, JAPAN.

https://www.facebook.com/ArcanaTarotOsaka/

http://www.eikaiwa-artemis.com

Course Instructor : Sonny Gardner
Born in the U.S.A.. Over 30 years of experience with Tarot, Meditation and related subjects.