The four suits of the minor arcana have also been identified with the four symbols of the Holy Grail legend: spear (Wand), cup (cup), sword (sword), plate (pentacles). The major arcana also have Catholic symbolism. For example, the hanged man, card number 12, which depicts a man hanging upside down from a cross by the ankle, signifies the death and resurrection of Jesus. Website design By BotEap.comFor me, Tarot readings have always been steeped in mystery; carnival readers in dark tents, with black velvet on the table and chairs and little crystals hanging from the ceiling. Website design By BotEap.comThat’s what I used to think. Now that I realize that carnival Tarot readers are probably just looking for money, I looked up what a real Tarot reader looks and acts like. I didn’t find it in any book, so to find my answer, I visited a “real” Tarot reader. Website design By BotEap.comI visited a website to try and get some information on where to get a good read. The information told me to stay away from calling 900 numbers, like Psychic Friends and Miss Cleo, because usually numbers like that employ people who don’t have reading skills and do what’s called “cold reading.” Cold reading is where a reader names a number of people and ideas that the person receiving the reading may or may not be familiar with in the hope that the person will offer valuable information to further the reading. Cold Reading has been compared to fishing; the reader keeps spewing out useless information until he gets something useful. These numbers are usually scams. Website design By BotEap.comWhen I arrived, I noticed that the place I was in looked like a normal house. When I rang the doorbell, a woman in her 40s, dressed in a T-shirt, jeans, and bunny slippers, answered the door. “Hello.” She greeted me. Website design By BotEap.com“Uh heh.” She probably assumed that her attraction took me by surprise. Website design By BotEap.comHe invited me in and motioned for me to sit at the kitchen table (which, by the way, had a St. Patrick’s Day tablecloth on it). As she made me a cup of coffee, which was in a mug that said “world’s greatest mom” on the side, she brought the cards to the table. Website design By BotEap.comHe sat across from me, pulling the cards out of the old sock he kept them in. “Why do you keep them in a sock?” I asked. Website design By BotEap.com“So they can be personalized. It’s believed that if you keep your cards in a personal place, it will bond with the cards, giving you a more accurate reading.” She smiled. “What is your zodiac sign?” Website design By BotEap.com“Pound.” I replied. Website design By BotEap.comHe searched through the cards until he came to the Justice card. She set him aside, separated from the rest. “Why don’t you include that one?” Website design By BotEap.com“This card represents you.” She held up the card that she put aside. Website design By BotEap.com“Why do you represent me?” Website design By BotEap.com“Libra represents law and justice. This card corresponds to that.” Website design By BotEap.comI nodded and she told me to shuffle the cards. I did and returned them. She arranged them in what was described as the “Celtic cross” spread. The spread had two cards in the center, one on top of the other, forming a cross, four cards in a circle around those cards, and four stacked cards running to one side of the circle. The cards inside that make up the circle detail someone’s problems, obstacles, and past and near future. Cards running down the side detail a person’s inner thoughts and feelings and environment, ending with predicting the end result of that person’s question. Website design By BotEap.comHe was correct in predicting some things in my reading, like my past relationships and general roadblocks. However, he missed many of the future predictions, the predictions that he told me would happen within the next month. Website design By BotEap.comAs we sat down to dinner, my grandmother asked me if I had gotten rid of the letters yet. My parents looked up from their plates and listened intently, their eyes wide, wondering what she would say. Website design By BotEap.com“No.” I said simply. Website design By BotEap.com“Because?” Grandma asked calmly. Website design By BotEap.com“Because Grandma…” and I proceeded to tell her what I had learned about the Tarot. This was something she wanted to pursue, and I didn’t like anyone getting mad at me, especially her. I always wanted my grandmother to be proud of me. Website design By BotEap.comWhen I finished explaining I expected her to scream and scream but it never happened. “Hmm.” Was all she said, and that was the end of it. Website design By BotEap.comPeople read or seek Tarot readings because they are looking for something fun and interesting or they are moving away from their religion and looking for different spiritual outlets. Website design By BotEap.comI’ve talked to several different people who told me they read Tarot because it’s “fun,” “interesting,” or “because my family hates it,” but only one person told me, “I read Tarot because I like to know what’s going to happen tomorrow.” I hate surprises. Website design By BotEap.comThis surprised me. “Do you really think you can see the future through cards?” Website design By BotEap.com“I dont believe it, I know”. Website design By BotEap.comThis sends up a red flag for me. This is a crazy individual who bases his life on Tarot… go away! This is what I instantly thought of. However, through my research I have learned that most people who read Tarot do so for spiritual purposes and believe what they see on the cards. From what is portrayed in the media, I took this person to be absolutely crazy.
Through the research I’ve done, I’ve learned a number of things about the Tarot and may have matured a bit as I searched for answers. Website design By BotEap.com“Your grandmother is leaving.” My father called out to me as he ran downstairs to say goodbye to her. Website design By BotEap.com“I’ll see you next month.” She told me while she kissed me on the forehead. Website design By BotEap.comAs I turned to walk away, I heard her call out to me, “What you said at dinner last night really made sense.” Website design By BotEap.comI turned to her and smiled. He just wanted her to understand. That was all she wanted.