THE HIEROPHANT
THE LOVERS
THE CHARIOT
STRENGTH
THE HERMIT
WHEEL OF FORTUNE
JUSTICE
THE HANGED MAN
DEATH
THE TOWER
THE STAR
THE MOON
THE SUN
JUDGEMENT
THE WORLD
There are thousands of different decks available catering to many diverse interests from baseball to voodoo. An influential deck in English speaking countries is the Rider-Waite deck. However many people will buy a set of cards with an art work and style which is compatible with their own tastes.
Different readers interpret the cards in different ways, each adding their own perspective. A client will consult a Tarot reader over a particular situation in their lives. Readers of Tarot will lay the cards out in special combinations called spreads. A traditional ten card spread is called the Celtic Cross. In these spreads it is claimed that the reader can see a detailed, pictorial representation of the client’s situation. The reader can see what has caused the situation and how it is most likely to affect their future.
No one knows how Tarot works. One expert believes that when the cards are shuffled the reader gets a kind of ‘psychic photograph’ of the client’s situation. The reader can suggest various pathways which a client may take to deal with the situation. If the client is aware of these potential pathways they can then select the one most appropriate to their circumstances. If the theory is correct the future is not set in stone and people are masters of our own destiny.
Because of the association of Tarot cards with fortune telling, some religious groups oppose the use of Tarot cards. In some societies divination is forbidden based on religious or traditional teachings.