About the Tarot

Hi ...   Welcome to Sue's Tarot Line. I'm Sue Paton and I will be interpreting your cards if you decide to have an online reading.  But first a little about the history of the ancient art of Tarot divination.

This ancient art of divination dates back through historical records to the 15th Century in Renaissance Italy, while legends and myths trace it further back through many countries and esoteric traditions to ancient Egypt and beyond to the legendary lost civilization of Atlantis.

The Tarot has strong links to Numerology, Astrology, Mythology, Runes and the Kabbalah, as well as corresponding to modern psychological archetypes and the Collective Unconscious.

Over the centuries, the cards have been used variously for parlor games such as an early form of Bridge, for gambling, fortune telling and on a higher level, for acquiring all knowledge and enlightenment. They have become increasingly popular in recent times as a tool for developing psychic abilities, personal growth and spiritual development.

                                                     

The Tarot is divided into two packs, the Major Arcana and the Minor Arcana. The word Arcana means secrets, and relates to ancient esoteric wisdom and secrets of the Universe.

The Major Arcana contains 22 trump cards numbered from 0 to 21, and the Minor Arcana contains four suits of 14 cards each, or 56 cards. Altogether the Major and Minor Arcana total 78 cards.

Originally there was only one deck, the Major Arcana or picture cards. These 22 cards depicted scenes, events and symbols that related both to every day life and also to timeless, primitive psychological archetypes that are still used in modern day psychotherapy and psychiatry. The four suits or number cards were added at a later date and originally contained only numbers from ace to ten, with the Court cards being represented by pages, knights, queens and kings. Later the number cards were also translated into pictorial form as well. 

The four suits relate to the four elements of Fire -Wands, Earth -Coins, Air -Swords, and Water -Cups.

Each suit is numbered Ace to 10 with 4 Court cards following. In this deck they are called the Lady, Knight, Queen and King. 

To have a Tarot reading, click: "For a Tarot reading" on the left of the page and follow the prompts.