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Surrey UK based Tarot Reader, Astrologer and Creative Artist.
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There are for suits in tarot which are commonly called minor cards.
The major cards symbolise large issues in life, turning points and inner change. With the major cards either the external world changes which means that our internal world is forced to change, or our internal world changes and as a result we change our external world. This results in constructive, but often painful, phases of life.
Alongside the major cards the minor cards will describe how the individual reacts to any given set of circumstances due to their own personal nature, background, upbringing and current life style.
Let me give you a very simple example.
The death card symbolises endings. A friend of mine knew that he was due to be made redundant and went into work prepared for the bad news. He is single and has other income to fall back on. Once he had his official letter he phoned me in the evening and explained how he had walked proudly out of the building, accepting that his job was gone. He said that on the steps outside he had seen a female colleague crying because she too had been laid off. He said that when he tried to comfort her she simply yowled and said “How am I going to tell my husband, how will we pay the mortgage?”
Both my friend and his colleague experienced the death of their job, yet due to their different situations they reacted very differently. Also my friend had been warned of his pending redundancy and his work mate had not. The company had initially put out that they would be laying four workers off and had ended up making seven people redundant. Hence his female colleague also experienced shock as she had been given no warning.
In a tarot reading both people would have had the death card symbolising the end of their job, and the surrounding cards, especially the minor cards, would have explained how they would potentially react to the situation.
Here is a brief overview of the minor cards and their symbolism.
Swords rule air.
Air at a physical level is the quality of air we breath and our ability to breath.
Air rules our mental state. Swords therefore describe our capacity for logical thoughts and our personal thought processes.
The sword is our discrimination. The Ace of swords has a dark and light side showing its ability to attack or defend.
Swords rule truth, honesty and integrity.
Batons rule fire.
Fire at a physical level is how hot or cold our body or climate is.
Fire rules our ability to experience, joy and passion, including sexuality.
Fire rules our personal nature, creativity, physical activity, colour and our connection to the plant and animal kingdoms.
Cups rule water.
Water at a physical level keeps us hydrated.
Water rules the emotions. It is our ability to emotionally bond with others and form warm, meaningful relationships at many levels.
Coins rule earth.
Earth at a physical level is our physical body and all things required to keep us alive.
Coins symbolise wisdom and wealth. We use our wisdom to gain our wealth which then provides for our physical needs such as food, shelter, and clothing.
Without maintaining our physical world we cannot enjoy al of the other qualities in life.
During a tarot reading emphasis on a particular suit will symbolise the questioner’s “type” and the overall pattern of their current situation.
Sword types are very mentally based and ruled by logic and analysis. The negative side of Swords is spite and aggression.
Batons types are bouncy and jolly with a love of sports or the arts and nature. The negative side of batons is recklessness and apathy.
Cups types are caring and sensitive. The negative side of cups is dreaminess and and self delusion.
Coins types are good workers and interested in the quality of everything in life. The negative side of coins is greed and avarice.
During a tarot reading it is also vitally important to observe which suit has NOT shown up in the spread. This will tell you as much about the questioner as the cards which are on the table.
Lack of Swords symbolises an inability to be assertive. Often these people are down-trodden and ineffective in standing up for themselves. They are easily bullied and led astray by stronger individuals.
Lack of batons symbolises a lack of energy. Always look to the questioners health when there are no batons on the table. Batons give us the spark of life and our very desire to live. Often when people are unwell this is the first thing that gets “switched off”. Lack of batons also symbolises frustration and an inability to get things started.
Lack of cups symbolises damaged emotions and a blocked heart chakra. Often such people have experienced loss and grief. Shock can also knock out the heart chakra so these issues need to be explored.
Lack of coins symbolises destitution. It is most unusual in the UK to find anyone with a total lack of coins because over here it is possible for people to obtain state benefit and assistance. I have only ever seen a total lack of coins when someone has been going through a divorce and consequently they do not know what resources they have because everything is tied up in litigation.
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