The myth of Egyptian origins of Tarot, while once common, has long been debunked by later scholars. There is also no record of Tarot cards being used for the occult or divination prior to the 18th century. The Tarot card readings popular at Renaissance Fairs are a creative license taken with historical fact and should not be viewed as authentic. Contrary to popular belief, conventional playing cards were not derived from Tarot decks and the Fool is unrelated to the Joker of conventional playing cards. The Joker was created in the USA during the 19th century originally for the card game Euchre.

Tarot cards

There are two types of Tarot deck.

The Italian suited Tarot

The traditional Italian suited deck of coins, cups, swords, and batons is currently favored by those using Tarot for divination, although in some countries such as Italy and Switzerland such decks are still used for game playing. Those practicing Tarot divination often call the coins “pentacles” and the batons “wands.” With few exceptions, the trump scenes of Italian suited Tarots differ little from deck to deck and are often seen by Tarot readers as containing symbolic meaning. The depictions of a Popess (II) and Pope (V) on Italian suited Tarots have been controversial in some areas. In Switzerland, these images were replaced by depictions of Juno (II) and Jupiter (V). In Bologna Italy, the papal figures along with the Empress (III) and the Emperor (IV) were replaced by four Moorish figures which are unnumbered and act as trumps of equal rank in the Bolognese variety of Tarocchi. The Italian or Spanish suit system is not confined to Tarot cards. This suit system is a common regional pattern of conventional playing cards in Southern Europe and in Latin America.

The French suited Tarot

The more modern deck using the French or international suits of diamonds, hearts, spades, and clubs is now used in such countries as France and Austria for game playing. In France and in southern Germany , the Roman numerals have been abandoned in favor of Arabic numbers, while in some countries such as Austria, the Roman numerals are still used. The trump images of French suited Tarots often depict arbitrary scenes of people at work and at play, animals both actual and mythological, and landscapes of regional locales. In some regions, such as Austria and southern Germany, the deck is shortened to 54 cards by the removal of the lowest ranking pip cards. Unlike the Italian suited decks, there is a great variety of imagery on the trump cards of French suited Tarots. On French suited Tarot decks, the Fool is often depicted as a musician, a harlequin, or some other kind of entertainer. French suited Tarots are seldom used for divination.

Common rules of play

In each trick, players must follow suit if possible. If following suit is not possible, a trump card must be played. If players are void in the suit played and are also void in trumps, then any card can be played. The winner of a trick leads the next.

There is considerable variation on how the Fool or Excuse is used. In countries such as France and Italy, the Fool is a “wild card” which may be played to any trick to avoid having to follow suit while in some regions such as Austria and southern Germany, the Fool is simply the highest trump.

Many modern Tarot games incorporate bidding to determine who will become the taker and play alone against the other players. In some Tarot card games with four or more players, the taker calls a king or a high ranking trump to choose a partner who’s identity remains secret until the called card is played.

The values of the cards where “n” is often equal to 1, 2, 3, or 4 depending on the type of game one is playing are given as follows:

Trump XXI (21), Trump I (1), the Excuse or Fool, and the 4 kings are worth 4 + 1/n each

The 4 queens are worth 3 + 1/n each

The 4 cavaliers or knights are worth 2 + 1/n each

The 4 jacks are worth 1 + 1/n each

All other cards are worth 1/n each

The usual goal of Tarot card games is to score the most card points along with any other bonus points which might also be available depending on which regional variant one is playing.

Tarot reading and divination

Although originally designed for card playing, Tarot cards are commonly seen by many as a tool for divination especially in regions where Tarot card games remain largely unknown. There are numerous decks published nowadays dedicated for divination purposes. The most well known deck designed for divination or to “gain insight” is the Rider Waite Smith Tarot.

To use the cards for divination, one arranges them in a pattern. Such patterns, usually cross-shaped, are known as “throws” or “spreads.” The “querent,” that is the one seeking the Tarot reading, shuffles the deck and asks the card reader a question. The question might be of a “yes” or “no” type or of a more general nature. The reader arranges the cards into the spread of choice and supposedly attempts to answer the question by using the cards as a guide. The divinatory interpretation of a Tarot card often depends on whether the direction of the card is upright or reversed or by its juxtaposition with other cards. Sometimes only 22 cards of the Tarot deck are used. These cards, called the “Major Arcana” by Tarot readers, include the 21 trumps and the Fool. The remaining 56 cards are called the “Minor Arcana.”

Not all Tarot readers call themselves “fortune tellers” when they claim they do not technically use the cards for predictive purposes. In recent years, “psychological” interpretations, rather than paranormal ones, have governed the context in which many Tarot readings are seen. Such Tarot readings are said to be “introspective” in character and make no supernatural or prophetic claims. Tarot card reading has also recently become popular in some circles as a brainstorming tool in efforts to boost one’s creativity. However, it should be noted that, there is no empirical evidence of any psychic phenomena or of any therapeutic benefits of Tarot card readings.

Astrology is the method of determining the character and future of a person through the alignment of the stars and planets. Astrology does not work and cannot predict future events or personalities. The Eastern astrology is event oriented, they will tell you what happened in the past and what will happen in the future with much grater accuracy. The most prevalent application of horoscopic astrology is to use it to analyze the birth charts of individuals in order to read character, psychological traits, and to some extent destiny.

Arab era astrology is the immediate ancestor of the Western astrology of today. Our astrology may be in fact the successor to that third stream of ancient astrologies. Developed by the Greeks and based on some of the fundamental ideas developed in Babylon, this type of astrology is also known as ‘judicial’ or ‘genethlialic’. This is the form of astrology that most of us are familiar with today, whether or not we are believers or skeptics. The question of why people believe in astrology is more interesting than the details of the horoscope. Psychologists have shown that customers are satisfied with astrological predictions as long as the procedures are individualized in some rather vague way.

Astrology is best understood by learning how it began. Astrology is unquestionably the oldest and at the same time currently the most popular of all pseudosciences. Astrology is also used to deepen understanding of our own nature. This psychological approach has grown significantly in the past 30 years as more and more astrologers develop their counseling skills. Astrology is Magical Thinking, which has given us creationism and most forms of alternative medicine. It’s at odds with scientific reasoning and it puts the practitioner squarely in opposition to the tradition of The Enlightenment.

Astrology is pseudoscience because people typically believe in it for illegitimate reasons. He gives no examples here. Astrology is, put simply, the study of the correlation between the astronomical positions of the planets and events on earth. Astrologers believe that the positions of the Sun, Moon, and planets at the time of a person’s birth have a direct influence on that person’s character. Astrology is a wonderful mix of science, art and craft. The best part of it is that no matter how much one learns he can never embrace all its knowledge.

The belief in astrology is that the positions of certain celestial bodies either influence or correlate with a persons personality trait. In the past, those studying Astrology used observation of celestial objects and the charting of their movements. Prior knowledge of astrology is not needed. The four levels of study include all necessary astrological knowledge from the very beginning to having your own, successful practice. Astrology is so called because it ariseth from the stars; as Theology is so called because it flows from God. To live astrologically is, with a pleasing concupiscence, to eat of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and to bring death to himself.

A comprehensive bibliography of astrology is beyond the scope of this FAQ, but some books have been included. The interested reader is advised to visit a well stocked bookstore. However, because the heavens were never intended for these purposes, astrology is a dangerous and wrongful practice. Stars were created for calendar keeping and for declaring God?s glory . The lessons here are for everyone who wants to learn how astrology is done and how to do astrology. They are especially for skeptics because science demands that knowledge of a subject must come before evaluation.

For if astronomy is the study of the movements of the heavenly bodies, then astrology is the study of the effects of those movements. The astronomers of the ancient world assumed a division of the universe whereby the superior, immutable bodies of the celestial worlds ruled over the terrestrial or sublunary sphere, where all was mortality and change. But astrology is no longer about just love and money. Astrology answers many other questions. Vocational Astrology is the art of assisting others in helping them find what they are called to do .

The practitioner of Shamanic Astrology is trained in the unaided eye knowledge and experience of the night sky, and the sacred rhythms, cycles and motions of the cosmos. Astrology is also an art-form–one that lends itself to quick sketches and complex portraits of individuals, couples, corporations, nations and more. Astrology can also clearly have spiritual and religious undertones as evidenced by studies of ancient Egypt. Astrology is unscientific because of the fact of the precession or the shifting of constellations. The early astronomers were not aware of precession and therefore failed to take it into account in their system.

Though entertaining, Sun sign astrology is a rather superficial, and marginally useful application of a complex and ancient science that dates back thousands of years. Learn how astrology can be used to inform your decisions and augment your own wisdom. Astrology is the ancient practice and study of the stars and planets. Its history goes back to Babylonian times. Astrology is such a model.

Wholistic Astrology is a way of interpreting a horoscope so that all aspects are considered. We can see tendencies in external areas such are career, finance and social needs. This is why astrology is referred to as the “Science of Indications”. Without an effort to overcome the momentum of any given force or thrust of action, the indications suggest what will probably be, and in any event, astrology reveals the timing of trends and certain influences. Today, some astrology is presented this way, but this is not true “traditional astrology”. Did you know that Astrology was considered science in man’s early history?

Astrology is not some silly old thing, a superstition or pseudo-science, but a real science of human experience. Its symbols leave room for the vagaries of human behavior, that which can never be reduced to simple and absolute formulae. Perhaps the hostility exists because astrology is still a living practice, a real competitor for popular respect and patronage. I hope that the traditional hostility may be dying among historians and social scientists and that a true understanding of this influential practice and belief. It does not mean that astrology is accurate in predicting human behavior or events to a degree significantly greater than mere chance. There are many satisfied customers who believe that their horoscope accurately describes them and that their astrologer has given them good advice.

Astrology is harmless, it is an entertainment. Whatever its former glories, it seems now a five-and-dime glimpse of the cosmos. Astrology is perhaps the most ancient subject and also in a way the most ignored. It is the most ancient because astrology has been in existence as far back as we have been able to investigate the history of mankind. Instead, they like to provide anecdotal evidence –stories people tell about how accurate they think astrology is. Anecdotal evidence is not acceptable in a real science because it’s too easy to leave out all the negative experiences people have, and people not very good at recalling and accurately reporting experiences.

Astrology is based on birth charts for an individual. The position of the Sun, Moon and planets is plotted on the zodiac at the moment of birth. Moreover, astrology is not a quick study. Traditionalists used to say it takes a student one transit of Saturn , about 30 years, to become proficient. Vedic Astrology is part of a holistic, integrated knowledge system and its effects can be bolstered by interoperating with its “sister” sciences. The Vedic Astrology system is kind in that not only is a person told what might happen, but they are presented a list of potential remedies or corrective actions to offset the quantity and quality of karmas that are returning to them, as seen in the birth chart.

In 2001, 53% of Europeans surveyed thought astrology is “rather scientific” and only a minority (39%) said it is not at all scientific. In the 2005 survey, Europeans were asked whether or not they considered certain subjects to be scientific, using a 5-point scale (with higher values indicating that a subject is more scientific). This is why astrology is so unique, being used since the beginning of historical records, and can also be found in every advanced culture. MB Pet Astrology is a simple and ‘user-friendly’ software that help you to understand your pets better. It is a complete freeware and the best part is, the reading can be administered within five to eight minutes.

Psychic of the week: Sylvia, tarot card reader, intutive, astrologer http://www.coasttocoastpsychics.com

★ OCTOBER ★
Mixed signals. Generous Jupiter and friendly, eccentric Uranus will travel together in the secretive water sign Pisces this month and be a favorable influence in the Skywatch. Pisces is the most psychic sign and it’s likely your dreams will be evocative in the weeks ahead as Pisces energy opens the door to your subconscious. Stuff may come up now that has been buried for years. Work with these ideas and you can heal some matter of the past in the months ahead.

Benefits from Uranus are usually unexpected and may come through “the back door” as both planets are Retrograde in October. This is a friendly pair that encourages you to expand your life and times with new places, faces and ideas. And it’s a good time to be tinkering on your own original creations and inventions—Jupiter brings rewards for good, original work.

The complication this month is Venus turning Rx on Oct 8 in the sign of Scorpio. Issues around power, jealousy, manipulation, sexuality and joint finances are likely to surface in new and existing relationships during this 40+ day cycle of Venus. Talk it out and you can work it out, but it will take a few weeks. This is not really a difficult Rx cycle, but it does pay to understand the changes in your thinking and others and to have patience with differences of opinion in the days ahead.

There’s a very hot pocket of energy in the Skywatch over the first few days of the month as Mars and Venus conjunct in Scorpio on Oct 3. Here’s a blast of sexual energy and the impulse to spend lavishly. (Whatever Lola wants, Lola gets.) The price for all of it will come in as Venus turns Rx sending more than a few pilgrims to credit counselors by the end of the month. Generally, money leaves during Venus Rx.

There’s also a dark side to this Venus Mars conjunction that inspires sexual predators and the criminal element into action—they, too, are ruled by Scorpio. Be mindful and pay extra attention to the kids and critters the first week of the month. And lock up. Trouble will not be hard to find on the street.

We use the energy of Venus and Mars constructively by directing our efforts into beautifying our homes or persons (but think twice about a new tattoo) or acquiring pieces of art, or a new putter or maybe a new Mustang convertible—as long as you can pay for it. Scorpio energy is excellent for research, solving problems, fixing things and bringing order out of chaos.

KISS DAYS: 5, 9, 11, 19, 24+, 26, 28. There’s a minor quack now and then in these days that I’ve chosen, but you can safely make important appointments and travel plans on these dates as positive aspects dominate. Add the Jupiter Uranus conjunction in the heavens now into the mix and these become very good times to handle priority business or to submit your book to the publisher. Good days, too, to make changes or to take a chance.

QUACK DAYS: 1, 3, 4, 21, 22+, 27. The only real danger spot here is Mars in square to dreamy Neptune, exact on Oct 22. Low energy and strange sleep and dreams are likely to precede this square the day before. All the other days are only lightly stressed and much easier to deal with if you keep things simple. Plus, you also know that other folks may be distracted or dialed- out on these days and not be able to give you their best efforts. You may not be at your best either. As times change.

Report prepared by W. Lance Ferguson of www.skywatchastrology.com

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