When you’re getting to know your own Tarot cards it’s important to spend time meditating on each and every card. Try to ‘feel’ the energy of the card, make notes and try to relate the feelings the cards evoke to your own experiences.

Memorising the associated keywords is only the beginning, the idea is to become as familiar with your cards as possible so that the meanings become personal to you.

One way to do this is to draw a card for each day, pick a quiet time when you can relax and simply explore the card. Try to ‘experience’ the card, note down your feelings and thoughts.

Start with the associated keywords and universal symbolism and then exploer deeper. Look around the scene and identify any characters, who do they remind you of?

What’s the mood of the card, when did you last feel that mood? Recall a situation that replicates the mood or feeling of the card and start to associate the event with the card.

Allow your intuition to fill in any gaps, even if logically your interpretation doesn’t make sense you’ll be surprised how accurate your own intuition can be. Always trust your instincts and always trust your cards.

The Minor Arcana cards represent the events we experience as we journey through life. Different decks depict different stories but the symbolism, lesson learned or moral of the story is carried from deck to deck with only a few minor variations.

There are fourteen cards in each of the four suits, wands, cups, swords and pentacles; which are numbered 1-10 and followed by the court cards Page, Knight, Queen and King.

Tarot decks do vary and sometimes you’ll find that the suit of wands is called batons, cups referred to as chalices and pentacles are often called coins or discs.

There are many highs and lows depicted in the suit cards, which is an honest reflection of most peoples lives. Associating a story or a memory to a card is good way to remember its meaning and it also gives us a better understanding of  the symbolism  in the card rather than just memorising the keywords.

The Major Arcana cards signify major changes and karmic lessons. If we see many of these in the same spread then we can guarantee that there’ll be major changes going on in our life.

The Major Arcana cards force us to analyse ourselves, they delve into our psyche, test our strength and our values and guide us towards the next level of growth. These cards lead us along our journey and teach us the valuable lessons that we need to learn and understand in order for us to progress.

• Completion
• Success/Achievement
• Joy/Happiness

The World card is a symbol of completion, all our ambitions manifest and we taste the sweetness of success. A cycle has ended with joy and high spirits, everything has come together as planned and we can enjoy the good times. The end of one cycle leads to the beginning of another and so The World can bring about big positive changes .

This card can also indicate overseas connections or travel.

• Big Decisions
• Realisation
• Change

The Judgement card represents a time when we must assess the whole picture and take everything into consideration so we can make a well thought out and clear decision. We mustn’t be biased or subjective, instead we have to make a judgement using rationale and clear logical thinking.

The Judgement card brings promise and changes for the better but the catalyst for change is realisation and big decision making. Without making this decision we cannot progress.

• Optimism
• Joy
• Clarity

The Sun is an extremely positive card to see in a spread. It reflects a  time of happiness and optimism, there a a sense of achievement and contentment. We have clarity, we’re on the right path and we are starting to see the benefits and rewards of our past efforts.

Sometimes the Sun can represent hot places abroad, literally sunshine and that summertime feeling.

• Delusion
• Deceit
• Uncertainty

The Moon reflects a period of uncertainty and fluctuation. It encourages us to listen to our intuition and pay attention to our dreams. There could be an element of deception in a situation and if so we will sense it, although we may not be sure exactly what it is we are picking up on. We mustn’t allow this confusion to cause disillusionment or depression, instead we should follow our intuition yet conduct a rational assessment of the situation to learn how best to deal with it.

• Hope
• Optimism

The Star offers hope and encourages faith. This would be a welcomed card after a period of ill-health or grieving as there is a sense of optimism. Our strength and our beliefs may have been tested but now the cloud has lifted and we can look forward to the future with positivity and excitement.

• Disruption
• Crisis

The Tower is possibly the most  feared card of the whole deck. It brings unexpected disruption and knocks our security. This card represents disaster and catastrophic events such as redundancy, the collapse of a marriage or a confrontation that leads to some sort of breakdown elsewhere.

This is the downfall of all that is flimsy and false, therefore, the Tower has an element of cleansing. Only that which is of true substance and importance will be left standing.

• Weakness
• Addictions
• Control/Bondage

The Devils represents a state of bondage, we are tied to a certain situation in which we have little or no control. We could feel compelled to stay in a damaging and controlling relationship because we don’t have the strength to break free. Sometimes the Devil manifests as a dependency on alcohol or some other addictive substance. Whatever the weakness is we will be forced to confront a negative aspect of our being and learn our strangth in order to avoid self-destructive behaiour.