I’ve been using geomancy for sometime. It’s extremely accurate but i would like to learn tarot too.
Problem is : there is no good source for learning it. I’m not saying everyone who writes about it is awful, i’m saying they are far too abstract. Geomancy has many different meanings for each figure, but by simple logic, observation and context you can get extremely accurate. Basically maths. It’s not the case with tarot. Everyone who writes about tarot is just too abstract. It’s like they are saying everything and nothing at the same time.
Any good ressource for someone who is into pragmatism ?
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When I was first gifted with a tarot deck from my Sister, I was ecstatic. My Dad not so much. Anyway, I learned Tarot via the booklet that came with it, reading out the analysis of the first Celtic Cross spread.
The Golden Dawn and the Magus used to jump out at me from a bookstore shelf in the 80;s every time I walked by them looking for D&D stuff. Good old Borders.
Anyway, the GD uses a specific version of the tree of life, found in any golden dawn or modern magic book.
There are 22 Major keys.
Each card, no matter Major, Court or Minor is symbolic but assigned at the same time by the author.
In the 22 letters of the Hebrew Alphabet, the Rider Waite and associated decks were given these attributes, even the Thoth and Ceremonial Magick decks were the same if not very similar.
The Major arcana is what I would work with first.
Realize that the 22 cards are associated with elements, zodiac, or planets:
Letter Means Gematria Value Card Association
Aleph - Ox - 1 - The Fool 0 - Elemental Air
Beth - House - 2 - The Magician I - Mercury
Gimel - House - 3 - The High Priestess II - Luna
Daleth - Door - 4 - The Empress III - Venus
Heh - Window - 5 - The Emperor IV - Aries
Vav - Nail - 6 - The Hierophant V - Taurus
Zain - Sword - 7 - The Lovers VI - Gemini
Cheth - Fence/Enclosure - 8 - The Chariot VII - Cancer
Teth - Serpent - 9 - Strength/Lust VIII - Leo
Yod - Hand - 10 - The Hermit IX - Virgo
Kaph - Fist - 20 - Wheel of Fortune - Jupiter
Lamed - Whip/Ox Goad - 30 - Justice XI - Libra
Mem - House - 40 - The Hanged Man XII - Elemental Water
Nun - House - 50 - Death XIII - Scorpio
Samekh - House - 60 - Temperance XIV - Sagittarius
Ayin - Eye/Foutain - 70 - The Devil XV - Capricorn
Peh - Mouth - 80 - The Blasted Tower XVI - Mars
Tzaddi - Fishhook - 90 - The Star XVII - Aquarius
Qoph - Back of Head - 100 - The Moon XVIII - Pisces
Resh - Head not a head - 200 - The Sun XIX - Sol
Shin - Tooth - 300 - Judgement XX - Elemental Fire
Tav - Cross/Seal - 400 - The World XXI - Saturn/Elemental Earth
Hope this chart helps you.
Look at the cards and which way they face.
Timing is best answered by someone else.
Then tackle Court Cards, then Minors. Minors can be very very powerful.
I know exactly what you mean. I think you will benefit a lot from reading “The Tarot of Ceremonial Magick” by Lon Milo Duquette. I’ve found his meanings for each Tarot to be spot on, and when another gives me a reading with their own interpretation and it does not go according to what they said, it follows what Don Milo Duquette has said on the Tarot card. Certainly his knowledge on the Tarot and Qabala is great.
Afterwards I would recommend reading The Mystical Qabala by Dion Fortune, 777 by Aleister Crowley, the Book of Thoth by Aleister Crowley, and Understanding Aleister Crowley’s Thoth Tarot by Lon Milo Duquette, in that order.
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I second your reading selections.
Lon Milo DuQuette breaks everything down in that book. You will come across Enochian.
Court Cards are to be considered as such:
Fire: Wands - BITOM
Water: Cups - HCOMA
Air: Swords - EXARP
Earth - Pentacles - NANTA
The order from first letter to last is as follows:
King - Fire - Chokmah
Queen - Water - Binah
Knight - Air - Tiphareth
Page - Earth - Malkuth
Ace - Spirit - Kether
The Page is the throne for the Ace,
When you refer to a card as a different suit then the arrangement above, say Queen of Wands, the Queen is Water but Water of Fire (Wands are Fire)
B - King of Wands - Fire of Fire
I - Queen of Wands - Water of Fire
T - Knight of Wands - Air of Fire
O - Page of Wands - Earth of Fire
M - Ace of Wands - Spirit of Fire
H - King of Cups - Fire of Water
C - Queen of Cups - Water of Water
O - Knight of Cups - Air of Water
M - Page of Cups - Earth of Water
A - Ace of Cups - Spirit of Water
E - King of Swords - Fire of Air
X - Queen of Swords - Water of Air
A - Knight of Swords - Air of Air
R - Page of Swords - Earth of Air
P - Ace of Swords - Spirit of Air
N - King of Pentacles - Fire of Earth
A - Queen of Pentacles - Water of Earth
N - Knight of Pentacles - Air of Earth
T - Page of Pentacles - Earth of Earth
A - Ace of Pentacles - Spirit of Earth
The Minors are assigned to certain planets in a deacon of a sign, and have two Shem Angels and to Goetia Demons assigned to each minor card.
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