Thoughts on the Tarot ... and things

Let's start here

The Tarot is divided into two major sections: The Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The standard Tarot deck itself has 78 cards. Of these, 22 are cards in the Major Arcana and the other 56 are cards in the Minor Arcana. The word "arcana" itself simply means "secret." It comes from the same root as the more familiar word arcane. Just this, of course, gives the Tarot an air of mystery, but don't let it scare you. Seriously, it's nothing to worry about.

While the Tarot itself is a pretty special tool, anyone can learn how to read it (even you!) -- and depending on how much natural talent, how great your interest in learning, how much work and practice you put into perfecting your skills, you (or anyone) can become pretty good at it.

Debunking "secrets"

So, let's talk about some of these "big secrets" and see if we can debunk some of the more unfortunate rumors and stories that surround the Tarot. First of all, it's not a "tool of the devil." I can pretty much tell you where that rumor got started though. It began with the medieval Church -- back when witches were considered dangerous and real, back when heresy could get you tortured and burned at the stake, back when believing the "wrong" brand of religion was one of the greatest hazards any citizen had to face.

Because (even then) the Church had a lot of power and wealth to protect (I mean, what gives you more power than literally having God on your side and you get to be the spokesperson for Him!!), they wanted to control knowledge. They wanted to control what people thought and believed. They wanted to control the judgment of who had found "grace" and who was labeled a "sinner." (Sound familiar?) They wanted to control whether people could actually read The Bible for themselves -- kind of like an ancient unredacted Mueller Report.

They even (and for sure!!) wanted to control whether people believed they could hold a conversation with God without intercession by the clergy (that is, the Pope and the priests, etc. -- busybodies who wanted to be sure you and God understood each other correctly -- because one or both of you might be too thick to communicate clearly.)

And they also wanted to control who could become Popes and priests -- and women weren't on that list. Sure, nuns could deal with the sick and the dying ... or shut their yap and contemplate God every waking minute of the day in some cloistered convent. But real power remained in the hands of men -- and most specifically in the hands of holy men.

And since women (especially elderly women living alone) were more likely to practice folk-medicine and other healing arts, to have squirreled away a lot of the wisdom of their experience to draw on in a crisis, to speak their minds more freely (like we do today) or (gasp!!) maybe read Tarot cards ... ways to put a muzzle on them, their sauciness and their wickedness became a big damn deal for The Powers That Be. (People who dare think for themselves always find the way is more hazardous than they first realized.)

So, they were more apt to be labeled witches -- and their access to Divine Knowledge, such as through tools that open the intuitive powers of the mind (like the Tarot) were condemned as "black magic." Which is crap, of course, but the rumor persists.

If you repeat a lie often enough, it achieves the stature of "truth" because people have heard it over and over and over until it's familiar. This is something politicians -- and other wannabe thought-influencers know very well ... and enthusiastically practice today. So, yeah, just keep listening to that fountain of truth, Fox News. They're the only ones who'll give you the straight-skinny on anything. Just ask 'em.

So, if you like and can stomach having all your information predigested for you (and you know what digested food becomes ... eventually) you can stop reading right here. Thanks for getting this far.

Let's regroup

What? You're still here? Evidently it takes a lot to discourage you. Maybe you're made of The Right Stuff after all. So ... I'll continue.

We were talking about the two divisions of the Tarot -- the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. Since I wasted so much time going off on a tangent, I'll talk about the Major Arcana here -- and get to the Minor Arcana next time. Or whenever. (Whenever I take up a notion to write again on this subject at all.)

All the cards of the Tarot are rich in symbolism and meaning. (I'll talk more about this as time goes on.) But the "big secrets" they supposedly hold are the keys to the meaning of life, including a sensible way to understand Life -- capital L. They literally explain the patterns of existence -- and human experience -- in ways that are easy to understand ... ways that make sense. (No wonder the Church wanted to shut this all down PDQ.)

Each card in the Major Arcana represents a universal theme of the human experience. They explain how humans psychologically and spiritually evolve. They explain how Life Lessons are presented. They have some observations -- and things to say -- about ... well, human nature. They help you tap into your own sources of higher knowledge, intuitive awareness and empathic emotions.

They show how we are all part of the story -- The Story of Life -- the human condition. Yes, there's a strong spiritual component in that kind of awareness. And yes, you can see why people with status and power and "special standing" to protect would want to condemn anything that promotes the simple common ground on which we all stand. What else could it be but a "tool of the devil?"

But if we're all Children of Spirit, each unique and beloved in the eyes of The Creator, what exactly makes the clergy so freakin' special? Hold that thought. I'll eventually circle back around to it. Probably more than once in one form or another. The Tarot is circular, too. And so are all arguments.

I'll start again. Soon. Here.

So -- takeaway thought for tonight. The Tarot is a deck of 78 cards -- 78 pieces of paper, for crying out loud. It contains two distinct divisions -- the Major and Minor Arcanas. The cards of the Major Arcana depict significant themes found in human experience. I'll talk more about this soon ... when I pick up this conversation again, 'round about here.

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