Joo Nem uel M OU LOLy Merery | A WHOLE LOT EASIER For centuries, the Tarot has been regarded as a powerful mean} of telling fortunes and predicting fates. Consulted by kings, revered by mystics, the Tarot’s astounding revelations have | inspired awe and evoked wonderment. i Now, you too can learn the techniques and skills to read the | |y Tarot ~ in just two hours! Using this breakthrough manual, SU en a cee fay liner ther wl ai cl re | ‘© the Celtic Cross, and Seven Sisters spreads Oe a es ee Oe j + tips and troubleshooting for beginners ee «interpreting card meanings quickly and much more to read cards professionally, or simply want to impress your erent ataal | AHL UH ge J ii paren ert ha TAROT TUTOR is wee erage Le nig a tac me eee i ILMA CARROLL$8 Visit the Piatkus website! Paths publishes a wide range of best elling ton and non-fiction, inccing Books on healt, ming, body & spin, se, selfnelp, cookery, bowaphy andthe paranormal Ityou wont + read deseriptions of ourpopular tiles ‘buy ourbooks overtheinemet ‘take aevantage fou special fers ‘enter ur monthly competion + lean more about your favourite Piathus authors wisir our weesire ar: WWW.piatkus.co.uk Cop © 200 by Wa Carat cylin he United Sef Ameria 204y ‘divin of Pe Ora (SA) ne S7Sthndan meee NewYork NE ICOIS > )2F OR TK Fx pblin Gt Btn n 205 by 5 Wl Soret, Lndn WIT IA So looper "The mon gt of estar bas Bees se Aco mn i ok al fom be Bish ary SBN 0796926104 Tox dig by Tay ache {et fram th ur Wate To Deck cn bh the Rik Tart she ‘Ware Tee eddy pero US. Gm Sai tf Co eset USA Ga nS Cn Sn ete “This bo a hen pnt on oper mid wth ope fr te enmen aie wom Singaacenable ener Pre od bln one Buy cape Cam Lid ‘To My Beloved Aunt DorothyCONTENTS Acknowledgments Inroduetion: Stop, Look, Listen! x ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A "THOUSAND WoRDS. 1 PART A: EZ THREE CARD SPREAD 1 ery Pie Tells a Sry Norice “This method is puaranted to work the instructions ae fl louedin the exact onder in hich hey represented! Do NOT PART B: THE RRST 2 HOURS. Mu (Geting There Is Hal the Fa! ‘Seovios 1: Tite Iserat Exercise u Secrios 2: Tie Reapine 1stm contents SAMPLE READINGS FoR THE CELTIC CROSS SPREAD. a ‘or Bur an Orange Candle and Call Mein the Morning? ARE WE HAVING FUN Ter? 45 Questions; Annes, Troubleshooting, and Fnctuning ‘THE SEVEN TRIPLETS ON THE SEVEN SISTERS sprean us “The Legacy of Pally’ Tea Room ‘THe INFORMATION SUPER HIGHWAY 13 ‘Advanced Spreads and Le Extras ‘Tue uLTiMare quesTION 167 “Do You Ever Get Any Gret Reais!” FINALE: THE LAST PLETURE SHOW 193 Possible Meanings tothe Cards Bibliography 285 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS My deepest gratitude fistly goes to my agent, Mary Tahan, and ny editor, Christine Zika. They were the two very powerful forces behind this book. Special thanks to graphic designer Michele Montefore Peter Gray Cohen for biographical information on the late Eden Gray; Lynn M. Buess for allowing me to include his ‘wonderful Tarot spreads (Five-By-Five and Yes or No}; the late Richard Gardner for his Tarot spread (Past, Present, and Future) and Magenta Wise for giving me permission to in clude it ‘Much appreciation for the help I received from the guys at Copy Cats: Rob, Jim, and Kono; and many thanks to George Keskeny and Tammy Maurell for chose litle extras I shall be eternally indebted to the many spiritual teachers I ‘mer along the way, who answered my unending questions, in dlged me in my youthful exuberance, and always encouraged ‘me in my spietual pursuits Lam also grateful to the many people whose feedback overthe years helped me to navigate the course of my Tarot card readings and the developmen of my teachings. Telieve everyone can read Tarot cards. Its really an open sectet,and now I share it with the world. This gift was made possible because of all the others who generously shared theit knowledge and inspiration with me. INTRODUCTION: STOP, LOOK, LISTEN! Tewas 2 a. [had been shufling and throwing the cards since 10 ea. With each spread, I would fook up the meanings in books, [had been repeating this same ritual for weeks. was try ing in vain to learn how to read Tarot cards ‘A sophomore in college, I had an English Lit class at 8:30 ‘AM. Iwas exhausted and had to get some seep, but I could’ sop. Forcing myself, I gathered the cards together and placed them in a glitering antique beaded bag. Ie was intended solely fe them. [set it high on a shelf ‘As [layin bed, hovering between consciousness and sleep, the cards began 0 ise up in. my thoughts and ehe images danced in my mind. Last week the 3 of Cups had come up two ‘times, falling in the postion of the home. Then I remembered several friends had made a suprise visit to my apartment. Five days ago, The Lovers came up inthe position ofthe fur. The following day a guy I had been interested in acked me out ‘More and more pictures swirled through my head, appearingbefore meas reminders, describing something that had recently happened in my life. What I began to realize was that the cands were actualy talking to me. Infact, they had always been talk ing to me though the pictares, only I had not been listening. Fi- nally, sleep overtook me The next day, my classes were over by 12:30 nM. I rushed back home with no intention of studying. Pulling the cards from the shelf, I grabbed all the Taroc hooks and pur them on the shelf. I was going co read the cards without the books. I was going to look only a the eards. What was in the plerues? What did I see? Eureka! That was the whole key! Look at the cards, not in the books! The 2-hour TAROT TUTORONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS PART A: E-2 THREE CARD SPREAD Every Picture Tells a Story James sat before me spellbound. He was a business major at a competitive university on Long Island, New York. How do you do it?" he wondered aloud. 'seasy!” [assured him, [pulled a card from the deck, the Knight of Cups. “Look at the cant, What do you see?” L asked. “Say what you seein the card,” [instructed ‘Ac first he was bashful about it, but I isised. “Make something up!” I urged. James quickly gave a description, “Lsee a man riding a howe. He's carying a cup. There are ‘wings on his helmet and on his heels” (See Figure 1.1)2 We2-HoUR TAROT TUTOR Knight of Cs ok atte cart ay what yous inthe ace Aman edn [then pulled another card, the 3 of Cups. asked him to e- peat the same exercise ‘Look atthe card Say what you se inthe card" instructed James gave another description of tis card “Lsee three women dancing and holding cups. They're pat- tying” he said laughing, (See Figure 1.2.) SoCs {ok at cad a9 wat you seein the [then pulled third card, the 2 of Cups, and repeated the ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS “Looks like a married couple,” he answered. (See Figure 13) 2ef Cups Wok tte cad Say what you sent rT pee nv oramanescouse. After that, I lad the three cards side-by-side. I instructed James to make up a story about the three cards all together "Someone carries a message about a wedding party. An inv tation to a wedding! he blurted, | informed James he had just given his first Taroe card read- fing and all he had to do was lok a the cand!4 Twe2-HouR TAROT TUTOR Lets try the same exercise using ast of thee different cards. Look at the cards and say what you see. Make free associations with che images. Be spontaneous and go with the fst thing thae comes to mind! Look at the card. Say what you see in the card: A man is working. (See Figure 14.) Look at the card. Say what you see in the card. What comes to your mind immediately: A man is fighting against something. (See Figure 15.) (ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. 5 Look atthe card. Say what you see in the card: A terrible fight or violent argument. (See Figute .6.) ‘Now, look at the three cards side-by-side. Weave what you have sen in each cad into a story. Incorporate the hey words you used to describe them: work, fights, bad arguments. How about something ke thi Arpunents and power stroge where one wok6 WE2-HOUR TAROT TUTOR Here's another example. This time try it without any hints. Remember to look at the card. Say what you seein the card Go with what immediately comes into your mind. Free asoci- ‘ate. Then move on to the next car, (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS. 7 Look atthe card. Say what you see in the card. [Now weave what you seein these cards into a story or inter: pretation. Make fee associations withthe images. Use key words twdescribe them Perhaps you see an introspective woman who is thinking of walking away from a troubling romance. Or maybe you see 2 wo Jationship of thinking wn who is disippointed about a8 THe 2-HouR TAROT TuTOR about giving up on love completely. You may even see a woman reading asad book about an unflfilling oF unrequited romance. ll of these interpretations can be correct. Or you. may sce something totally diferent from what | am suggesting. Cereainly other interpretations are also possible, But, iti im- portant to go with the frst impression that pops into your ‘mind. A good cop will agree: Your ist hunch s usually your Best Dion Fortune was one of the most famous and prolific 0¢- cult writers of the twentieth century. In her book, Practical (ceulism in Daly Life, she wrote how, with any form of ination, che interpretation [must] “leap spontaneously tothe mind..." Always go with what instantaneously comes t0 your mind. This is a very important key to reading Tarot cards, Reading Tarot cards is really very easy. All you have to do is look atthe cards and say what you see! By simply looking at the cards, you are making an intuitive connection with them. ‘The cards speak in a language of symbols. Ifyou look at the cards the images actually do talk to you. This sa truly revolutionary technique I break all the rules. ‘Andere isa trade secret: dol the really good readers. They are not following the standard rules either. With my radical method, there is no memorizing of mean- ings, no years and years of studying; nor do you even have to think. Instead, you wll be able to develop your own meanings to the cards spontaneously if you immediately get into the habit of looking atthe cands and saying what you se. These in- structions will be repeated throughout the book. Constant rep- cettion is what helps the mind get past the resistance of preconceived ideas. If you have already been trying 0 figure cout the Tarot, you most likely have several preconceived ideas (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH ATHOUSAND WoRDS 9 about the cards and may have built up a resistance to this new approach. Clear your mind. Seat afresh. And always remember tolook at the cards and say what you see! ‘The exercises in the following section are more in-depth. Follow the instructions exactly the way they are presented!>K NOTICE Follow These Instructions In the Exact Onder In Which They Are Presented! [Do Not Skip Ahead! [Do Not Refer tothe Other Chapters ‘Until the Exercises in ‘The First 2 Hours Have Been Correctly Completed! ‘This Method is Guaranteed to Work 1 the Instructions ‘Are Followed Sequentially. oK (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSANO WORDS 11 PART B: THE FIRST 2 HOURS Getting There Is Half the Fun! °* SECTION 1+ THE INITIAL EXERCISE Marie showed me all of het Tarot books. “They'e 4 confusing,” she complained. “I can't figure them Having jut entered her freshman year ata college in Penin- sylvania she was well-acquainted with Tatot cards. Her mother hhad consulted many readers while Marie was growing up in New Jersey. By her mother's side for many of these sessions, Marie watched with burning curiosity, wondering how it was done. Now she was determined to crack the cade herself and maybe even save her mother some money. But Marie had fallen into the trap of looking up the meanings in books, trying to memo- ‘ize them; and, she found all ofthe instructions to0 compli- cated to understand, “These books give me a headache!” she complained, “Pur the books away,” I instructed. I gathered them together and set them off to the side, ‘And these ae the same instructions I now give to al of you Tarot enthusiasts. Put your Tarot books away; all of them. Put them high om a shelf ut of reach. You will not be needing the. All you need ow is yur deck of Rider Waite Tarot Cards You are going to start with the fist card. Ifyou have just taken the deck out ofthe package the cands will be in onder and the fist will be The Magician. If you have been playing with them for awhile (and I expect you have) itis not necessary t0 ‘Pur them in onder. You can start with whichever card son top.12 TWe2-HouR anor ruToR PICK UP A CARD AND LOOK ATIT. SAY WHAT YOU SEE IN THE CARD. Quickly say one thing you sce i the card Be spontaneous, donot think about it; instead, say whatever im- mediately comes to mind. You may see a man standing with outstretched arms, Say wha you see. You may see someone sit ting under a tee staring at cups. Say what you se. Say atleast one thing yousee or as many a8 three things; bu be very quick. Do not pause or hesitate. Do not stop to think. Spontaneously and quickly, SAY WHAT YOU SEE IN THE CARD. Then move onto tothe next card, repeating the same exercise until you have gone through all seventy-cight Tarot card very quiche spontaneous and speed. * NOW PUT THE BOOK DOWN, LOOK ONLY AT THE CARDS WHILE DOING THIS EXERCISE, DO NOT PICK UP THE BOOK UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS EXERCISE. IF YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE EXERCISE ABOVE, YOU MAY CONTINUE WITH THE FOLLOWING EXERCISE. *K [Now you are going to repeat the same exercise; except this time ata slower pace. Look closer and longer at che cards. Take some time to notice more details in the pictures. Look for something you did not see before. Here are some examples to ‘gt you started, (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH ATHOUSANO WORDS 13 ‘TEMPERANCE: An angel stands with one foot in the water and ‘one foot on the ground. Water is poured from chalice to chal- ‘ce. To his right, a path leads to the sun in the background. ‘THE STAR: A woman has one foot in the water and a knee on the ground. She pours water into the water and onto the round. Behind her isa bid perched in a tee. THE FOOL: A man looks to the sky while stepping off a cif. A. dog barks a hs fot. He holds a lower in his left hand (QUEEN OF PENTACLES: A rabbit scoots by to the lefe of het throne. (You have to look closely fr tis. Even the Queen her- salf does not seit.) 100F PENTACLES: In the foreground sits an older man looking ‘on. (This is another one you have to look fr closely.) KING OF WANDS: A man sits on a throne. Leaves sprout out of the wand he is holding. A tiny lizard sis to his lft TOR WANDS. A man wears a shoe on his right foot and a boot ‘om his left foot. (QUEEN OF SWORDS: A woman sts on a throne. Her lft hand is slightly raised. She stares off into the distance. Only hee profile isvisible, nother entire face. PAGEOFSWORDS: A young man appears tobe leaning tis left, but looks to his right. The top of the sword he holds is missing. Bid fly above.14 WE 2-nOUR TAROT TUTOR 9 OF SWORDS: Astrological symbols and roses cover the blan- kket. On the panel, below the bed, appear to be two men fight- ing. (Here is another one you must look at very closely.) ‘OF SWORDS: To the left ofthe boat, the water is calm; to the right, che water i rippled. Your responses should still be quick and spontancous. Take ‘only a few minutes with each card. Go through all seventy- ‘ight cards aguin. Look at the cards and say what you see. * NOW PUT THE BOOK DOWN AGAIN, DO NOT PICK IT UP UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THIS EXERCISE. *« hope you have completed the above-exercises exactly as have instructed. These exercises are very important. They lay the foundation for all your future work with Tarot cards. By looking atthe cards you are allowing your subconscious mind to ‘make an intuitive link with the Tarot’ symbolism, and you are already beginning naturally to develop your own meanings to the card. In other words, when you look atthe picture, you in- twitivey gee the picture. This is an ongoing process. As you con- tinuously look at a Tarot card over the years, you will likely see something different and revise its meaning Spontaneity isthe essential key. It unlocks your ntti) psychic faculties by facilitacing the shift from logical thinking to intuitive perception. Rational thinking interferes with the intuitive mind. If you depend on your rational (thinking) (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 15 ‘mind to read the cards it will bean exercise in futility. Spon- taneity, not thinking, engages the intuition, whieh les impres- sions flow smoothly. Ths brings insights instantly to conscious awareness and works in harmony wih the tre esence of Tarot cards. PART B: THE FIRST 2 HOURS Getting There Is Half the Fun! °* SECTION 2: THE READING ‘Sean fdgeted withthe cards. He was about to give himself his fist Taroe reading “Tma litle nervous about this” he confided. “No need to be,” assured hie, ‘This isthe same assurance I give to all of you Tatotaficiona dos. You will still continue with the basic exercise: Look a the cards and say what you see, except this time the cards will have particular placements. Ic has been my observation that this i where many people bgin to experience extreme confusion. am going to eliminate that by giving you another trade secret. Skilled readers are not thinking about che card’ positions in a spread. Skilled readers are looking at (reading) the cands. This is exactly what I have bbeen teaching you. Keep this secret in the back of your mind when following the next set of instructions. The various spreads used for Tarot cand reading are designed to give the reader some direction, It is the cards themselves chat will ulti- imately do the talking! ‘There are countless spreads that can be used, but the most popular is the Celtic Cross Spread,16 THe 2-HouR raRor ur08 4 The frst step is to select what i called a significator This is the card used to represent the person getting the reading. ‘That individual i called the querent. The signifcator is usually ‘court card that best describes the appearance of the querent. Here are some sugested guideline for this selection: [Black hair or very dark har, dark eyes—Pentacles Blond or very light hair, ue or light eyes—Cups [Red hair or light brown hair, hazel or brown eyes Wands Light, medium, or dark brown hai, gray or light eyes—Swords ‘A man 35 years of age or older—a king ‘A woman 35 years of age or older—a queen ‘A young man 18 to 34 years of age—a knight ‘A young woman 18 to 34 years of age—a page ‘A teenager or child (male or female)—a page | repeat, these are suggested guidelines only. You can also se- lect sigificator according to your own personal taste and style by using whichever card you feel best represents the querent. Fora mother you might use The Empress; fora father, The Em- peor; a clergyman or very religious individual, The Hiero- pPhant; a judge ora lawyer, Justice. Or regardless of appearance, you may see a businesswoman as the Queen of Pentacles or the ‘Queen of Wands; a student as the Page or Knight of Pentacles and so on. Many years ago, a deat friend of mine wed to insist ‘my significator was The High Priestess, A signifcator is not necessary. I have been reading Tarot cards for over three decades and stopped using a signifcator ‘years ago because I felt it did not add to the reading. I know ‘many other professionals who also agree with me. The choice is yours. Tarot card reading is an at; you are the artist. ‘ONE PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 17 After you choose a signifcatr, if you choose to do so, put it tw the side forthe time being. You will be using it when you lay ur the cards 2 The next step ito shufile the cards. Ifyou have selected asignificator, the cards are shufled without it. Remember, keep itaside for now. If you have nat selected a significator, shuf- fle the entre deck. The querent usually shuffles the cards. However, this is a practice reading, so you are going to be the ‘querent and give yourself a reading and shuflle the cards for yourself. always say to shufle the cards until they fel right. By this I ‘mean, when one feels comfortable with the energy of the cards and that a rapport has been made with them. ‘There isa theory among bridge players and card sharks that a deck of fifty-two cards must be shufled seven times to be thoroughly mixed. The Tarot contains seventy-cight cards and could probably use about ten or eleven shufles. Unfortunately most people do not shufile very well; so I suggest you, or the querent, put some energy (oF umpf) into this procedure and give the cards a really good mixing. You ‘might try relaxing by taking a few deep breaths; then clear your mind as you shuftle. A clear mind makes fr clear read- ing, even if asking a specific question, which, of course, the ‘Tarot can be used for. However, chete will be instructions for that later. For the time being, ler’s see what comes out. find this to be one of the most fascinating aspects of the Tarot Many things are revealed. Furure and unexpected events can bbe seen in the cards, especially when you give them the chance to talk freely. It is easier to hear their voice if the mind is clear when shufling.18 THE 2-HouR taRor TUTOR 3+ After you have thoroughly shufled the cards, place the «deck facedown and with your let hand, going lft cut the deck into three separate piles (See Diagram 1.1). Remember, if you were reading for someone ese, the querent would eut the deck, However, the eader always picks up the cards after they have been cut by placing one pile on top ofthe other. With your right hand, pick up pile 1 first. Place i¢ on top of pile nurmber 2 and then place that on top of ile 3. You should now be holding a fall deck of Tarot cards in your right hand, According to tradition, after the querent has cut the deck it should not be touched again by the querent, but handled only by the eader until another spread is done. This is one tradition Lam strict about—my personal taste. Later on, you can decide for yourself how you feel about this tradition. 4 Following Diagram 1.2, lay the cards out faceup. Ifa sig nifcator is used, i is placed down fst (faceup), under the cand in Position 1. Some readers will say the following words out loud when placing each card init proper position. It isnot nec- ‘essary to say this. Here again, it depends on your personal style. | used to repeat these words many years ago, now I dont. (I want to reemphasize technicalities are not what's really impor- tant. They are merely ritualistic and add no magic tothe read- ing. The magic iin the connection you make with the cards by looking atthe cards and saying what you se.) Position 1. “This is what covers you" Position 2. “This is what croses you.” Position 3. “This is above you" Position 4. “This is below you.” Position 5. “This i behind you." (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 19 (tec ee spate ples wih your hand ging When ‘main fracter person, th gute cits th deck nt tlt hand > Position 6, “This is before you." Position 7. “This is you.” Postion 8. “This s your home, family, friends, andr envi- Position 9. “These are your hopes andor fears.” Position 10. “This isthe outcome or culmination.” 5+ After you have laid the cards out, quickly read over the ‘explanation for each positon. Do not try to memorize this. Do not bein referring tothe cards in the spread until give the in- structions to do so, and don’t worry if you forget everything as soon as you have read it (Iwill give mote details about this in the next chapter) Many people tell me they have difficulty remembering these postions; and this is where I see the diff culty beginning. What is most important is to always remember the basic exercise: Look at the cards and say wat you see! This connects you directly with the cards. After playing with the cards fora while, the postions will narurally fll nto place. But they will never be as important as the images in the cands themselves.20. THe 2-HOUR TAROT TUTOR 3 2 = 6 5 ‘The Calc Gs Spread = a “Meanings tothe Positions of the Celtic Cross Spread, 1. This Is What Covers Yu. This represents the atmosphere or (emotional) environment in which influences are working 2 This Is What Crosses You. This represents an obstacle or an aid 4 This Is Abou You. This indicates what the querent is or should be aiming for inthe matte. I is sometimes the solu- ton to the isue or the answer to the problem. (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS 21 ‘4 This Is Below You. This describes the subconscious motiva tion of the querent, how the querent is thinking, or the bass ‘or foundation of the matter 5 This Is BehindYou. This represents influences that are now passing away or the immediate or distane past. (6. This Is Before You. This isthe future or influences that may Ihave recently come into view. 1 This Is You. This represents the querent andlor the quer- ‘en's attitude inthe situation. {8 This Is You Home, Family, Friends, andlor Environment This represents the querent’s home, family, friends, or (ma terial) environment or the influences therein. ‘9 These Are Your Hopes andor Fears. This represents the ‘querent’s hopes andjor fears regarding the matter. zo, This Is the Outcome or Culminaion, This is the way the situation will eum out in the end. ‘You are now ready to look atthe cards in the spread before you. You are going to give yourself a Tart card reading. Do not worry about any other details at this time, even inverced/up- side-down cards. [ wil addres that issue and many other ques- tions later on in Chapter 3. At this time all you have to do is look a the cands and say what you se. ‘Start with the card in Position 1. Look at the card and say what you seein the card. Project what you see in the eard into the meaning of that position. If you have to refer to the de scription of this postion, do so very quickly, bur do noe get caugh¢ up in thinking about i. Ifyou have difficulty eelating the‘card tothe position, seg the psition’s meaning and focus only ‘on the card an what you se in the car. Spontaneity is still the ‘order ofthe day! Quickly move on to Postion 2 and repeat the same procedure. Go through al ten positions. Congratulations! You have just given yourself a Tarot cand reading. For many of you this was the fist ime. know every- ‘one got something out of i. Ifyou have followed these instruc- tions corectly the entite process should have taken about wo hhours. However there is much more to be gained! Still focused ‘on the same spread, here are some additional pointers: Be sure to take dated notes of the cards that came up in this first reading and all your practice spreads. You will most likely he up tll the wee hours ofthe morning like I was, theow- ing and throwing the cards over and over again. Indeed, a lot ‘can be leamed from these initial practice readings. Patterns ‘emerge from the very begining; the cards really do start talk- ing. By observing these pattems, you can learn the language of the cards. However it is impossible to remember all the cards that come up. That is why the notes make for easy reference Use the Celtic Cross Spread Worksheet provided atthe end of this chapter to record the cards positions. An extra worksheet forthe Celtic Cross Spread is also provided a the end of the book. Make copies and keep them in a Tarot file * Under the worksheet section for Nots and/or Obserua- tions, keep track of any happenings, occurences, or events that remind you of the cards chat eame up in the spread. See what (ONE PICTURE 1S WORTH A THOUSANO WORDS 23 transpires in afew days. Are the events reflected in any of the ‘cards? You will sce some very interesting correspondences. ‘These observations will be helpful in further developing your ‘own meanings, because the cards wil be talking to you. ‘Also in this ection, write down any feelings you may have ‘had about the cards inthe spread. Remember you are beginning towork on an intuitive level and will et felines that contradict rational chinking. Go with your felings! ‘= This is only a practice reading. Do not tke it too seriously and do not lose sleep over it. Eventually, if not right aay, you will begin experimenting on your friends and family. Heaven help them! Always be gentle! ‘There is an old vaudeville joke. Someone asks a taxi driver, “How do you get to Caregie Hall?” ‘The drivers answer is “Practice, practice, practice!” ‘The same i tue for learning how to read Tarot cards. Prac~ tice makes perfect! Continue working with this basic spread. You can use the Celtic Cross Spread fora general reading, to see what comes out. Or you can use i to answer a specific question. If you wish ro advance, there are instructions fora variety of diferent spreads in further chapters, including worksheets for the most sophisticated, aso, in the back of the book. Some spreads may yield enormous amounts of detailed information; others can be used to answer a specifi question; of, if you are in ‘a big hurry thee are spreads thar give quick and speedy results, “Then again, it may boil down to personal taste and style and what you feel comfortable with. Many people work exclusively with the Celtic Cross Spread and have excellent results. The choice is yours.24 THe 2-noUR TAROT TUTOR PERMISSION IS NOW GRANTED TO REFER TO THE, (OTHER CHAPTERS IN THIS BOOK. You now have a solid foundation for Tarot card reading and are on your way to be> ‘coming a highly skilled reader. Bu, always remember: Look at the cards and say what you see! Enjoy! Celtic Cross Spread Worksheet Date a n/t Coarston megan igul SAMPLE READINGS FOR THE CELTIC CROSS SPREAD ‘on BURN AN ORANGE CANDLE AND ‘Catt ME IN THE MorNine! Burn an orange candle and cll me inthe moming! This is the ad- vice the High Priestes of a Long Island Wiccan coven used to ‘offer as a quick remedy to a stresful situation. A powerful healer, Irene was known for her infinite reserves of energy, her compassionate nature, and her great cooking. She also knew the color orange has soothing effect by temporarily restoring balance and harmony. ‘So when Erica called me in the late evening, frantic and frustrated with her first attempt to give a Taro card reading I thought about recommending the High Priestess fall. But didn’ want Erica to lose any sleep over this, like many begin ners (including myself) have done. So I decided to jump-start her with an in-depth look as to how I might interpret this spread.28 WE 2-NoUR TAROT TUTOR Erica was an aspiring dancer to whom Thad given my crash course the previous evening. She appeared confident about what she had leared, but later, when she red to give her sister a reading, she had trouble linking the card together ino aco- hesive story. Unfortunately this is very common because the mind tends to quickly slp back into rational mode. A rational mind is of course, necessary to deal with day-to-day practicalities, but r tional thinking interferes with Tarot card reading, which re quires nomthinking. The mind must be trained to g0 into innve mode (that is, nonahnking mode). The spontaneity ex cise helps to make this shift. That is why the fundamental teaching must be dled into your head. People tend to forget it almort immediately and find themselves in a quandary. When beginning a Tarot reading, remember to always return (0 the ‘asic instruction: Look tthe cards an say what ou se Because an in-depth analysis of «Taro spread puts too much ‘rmphasis on thinking, it can be couner productive. That is fur- ther evidenced by another trade secret: Adept readets are look- ing at the wall pcuaes); they are not breaking down the spread cad-by-card,postion-by-position. That would be an cttruction tothe entire intuitive proces Therefore this jumpstart for Erica, along with two other samples, is included with great reluctance. Please, do not de- pend on these samples. The intention i ony to give you an idea of how a spread may be interpreted by showing the basic ‘mechanics of reading. Perwe them once. Incorporate what you can readily comprehend. Skim over what does noc immedi- ately click. Then move forward always continuing withthe ba- sic spontaneity practic: Look at the ads andy what you se ‘SAMPLE READINGS FOR THE CELTIC GROSS SPREAD 29 Before we continue, there is one other iswe. I have given permission to refer tothe other sections, and, yes, that does in-