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The Tarot Inspires You !
The 22 “Majors” symbolize the important issues of life. The four suits of the “Minors” are the realms in which we experience those realities. The combinations are endless. As a meditative tool, the Tarot is unsurpassed; it shows us our biases and helps us consider the consequences of our actions, asking, “Who are you really?” Approached in a positive frame of mind, Its images connect us with a higher dimension of our selves. In a reading for someone else, they help us to help them find their own answers. Tarot is the teacher without the dogma—and it’s FUN!
The Triadic Tarot of 2017—Get Acquainted
Meet the Majors of the Triadic deck. The interpretations relate to all Tarot Majors with the understanding that traditional rectangular cards fall upright or reversed, while the square Triadic cards have four possible orientations. A figure may look at a card above, below or to the side to reference that character or issue, but in general:
- Upright, a card is functioning optimally as intended.
- Reversed, a blockage, weak or opposite characteristics, or even misuse of skills or authority.
- Figure on back (Triadic cards) weak, hesitant, held/pushed back—not at full expression.
- Figure on face (Triadic cards) over expressing, going to extremes.
Notice the object of a figure’s gaze or gesture; also notice what in the image rises. Visit MINI LESSONS in the menu above for short practice exercises.
The FOOL is every soul on the path through life. The dog or cat may be a companion pet, a dog chasing a stranger, or a metaphor for something that “doggs” you (unpaid debt, past mistake, etc.).
Upright: Departure • A new beginning • An adventure • Travel • Seeking work, a mate, a place to live, information, etc. • Is he running away or distracted by something at right? Reversed: Indecision • Feeling exposed / vulnerable • Blocked, disadvantaged • Stubborn • Foolish • False pride • Trouble maker. Left tilt (face up): High ambitions • An up-hill journey OR he may be held or pushed back. Right tilt (face down): Down-hill path, poor choices • A quitter, always moving on. Did the animal (or whatever “doggs” him) take him down? Or is he distracted by something below? See a discussion of this card in excerpts 1-4 under “Books” in the menu. ### 
The JUGGLER uses skill, will, and focus to manipulate his world, support himself, and contribute to society. This is one’s work: craftsperson, peddler, entertainer, mage, or a trickster, but also the acquisition of those skills as a student, apprentice or a teacher.
Upright: Taking action, using abilities, and social skills with dexterity and confidence. Having knowledge and skills not understood by others, he may be known as a magician. Reversed: Low ambition or opportunities blocked • Skills used to deceive others • Loss of professional standing. • Dislikes his work. ALTERNATIVELY: The table has risen to the top, so this may be a workaholic. Left tilt (face down): Feels trapped • Boredom • Burn-out • Distraction below? Right tilt (face up): Hesitation • Inexperience • Self-doubt, distractions or pipe dreams. Are his skills falling off like his tool pouch! ###
The PRIESTESS is quiet, thoughtful and receptive. Her spirituality is private, intuitive, meditative and expansive. She represents wisdom and understanding, honors ancient knowledge, sacred sexuality, and the mysteries of life. Also a reference to clairvoyance and mediumship. (The colors of her inner and outer garments were exchanged in the past); details of the cardS are discussed in the book,The Tarot: A Strange and Wondrous Thing.
Upright: The Priestess exemplifies dignity, poise and discretion; she promotes education, high ethical standards, compassion, benevolence and generosity. Reversed: Her attributes are weak or absent. There may be indiscretion, neglect of the spiritual self. Desecration, humiliation. Unwanted sex. Face down: The pomegranate tree rises in importance, her skills are in full bloom. She shows her book to someone below—something to know and remember. A prophesy or revelation. Tilted right: She upholds ancient wisdom and is dedicated to high principles. Lying down may mean health problems or needing rest. Too much reading in bed? ###
The EMPRESS
, feminine sovereign of the earthly realm, personifies nature’s beauty and abundance. She is creativity, growth and gain. Her number, 3, is an active number usually seen as masculine, but it works for the Empress because she is the active expression of femininity—the Archetypal mother. She is Mother Nature.
Upright: Harmony and abundance—expansion and creativity. Fertility and the fullness of womanhood. Reversed: Disharmony, frustration, a state if want or neglect, Problems with motherhood. Infertility.Tilted left: Her scepter rises emphasizing her power and authority. Tilted right: Her shield rises in a protective / defensive posture. ALTERNATIVELY, the rise of her fruiting tree may tout a bountiful harvest. When this card is placed to the right of the Priestess card, the blossoms of the tree become fruit in a formation that describes the less well-known Gra Tree of Life.
When this card is placed to the right of the Priestess card, the blossoms become fruit in a formation that describes the less well-known Gra Tree of Life. [The pomegranate tree, long a symbol of fertility, does not appear in early Tarots; it was a 20th century addition to the Priestess card of the Rider Waite-Smith deck. It is here as a nod to that deck, because it and the entire English tradition is an important part of the Tarot Legacy. Here, the* tree is in the foreground rather than on the veil behind the Priestess.]
The EMPEROR, masculine sovereign of the earthly realm, personifies structure, order and regulation. The father archetype, he guides, protects and provides for those under his authority. His strength of character, intelligence, and competence make him a respected ruler and Commander-in-Chief of a military. The ideal of a principled and benevolent ruler. Complementing the Empress. The Emperor’s 4–an even number, is appropriate here for he provides the safety and stability that supports her productivity
Upright: He is, protective and possibly stern, but fair and merciful. Reversed: Loss of power, misused authority, corruption, scandal and shame. A tyrant. An absent or abusive spouse or father. Tilted left Overbearing, controlling narrow-minded extremism. A micro-manager possibly threatening the figure in a card below. Tilted right: Aspiring to power or higher office. OR weakened, perhaps a lame-duck ruler. There could be incompetence, illness, immaturity, or infertility. ###
The PRIEST is the masculine counterpart to the Priestess. Her spirituality is inner and private; his is outward, culturally sanctioned. He represents not only formal religion, but ALL ritual and ceremony both sacred and secular (graduations, initiations, recognitions of achievement). Such events raise our vibrational consciousness, extol high principles, and encourage us to serve the greater good. Ideally, he is a benevolent counselor.
Upright: May be an inner guide, but usually the cleric or teacher of a formal religion. Anything related to religion, its agents, institutions or property. All ritual and ceremonial events. Reversed: Loss of position. Misuse/abuse of authority. Financial, psychological or sexual victimization by a cleric or counselor. Force religious conformity or limits rights of dissenters. Weaponized religion.Tilted left: May be referencing the card above. (Always notice the object of a gaze or gesture.) On back: Doubt / loss of faith. A fearful priest hides behind his staff of office. Hypocrisy. Religion used to justify prejudice, intolerance and violence. Tilted right: Overbearing control, doctrinal rigidity, fanaticism. Use of fear to force religious observance or conversion. ###
The LOVERS is the card of CHOICE, especially choice related to love and commitment, but also choice of a partner, school, a career, a particular behavior or even a choice between virtue and vice. The card may show an ancient marriage with a woman officiating. Other interpretations are: a young man introducing his intended to his mother, a girl introducing the man to her mother, a matchmaker making a match.
Upright: Love, commitment, any choice. A group decision or pleasant social gathering. Reversed: Indecision, fear of commitment, poor choice, disharmony, a pledge broken. Tilted left: Cupid rising brings a new love or friendship. A young woman is held in high regard. Tilted right: A mother (or virtue) is respected, her counsel and approval are sought and received. An auspicious beginning. Alternatively: a wife prevails over a young distraction. At worst: an overbearing mother. ###
The CHARIOT shows a person in control perhaps leaving the comfort of his natal home to begin adult life. Lacking reigns, he controls his emotions (blue horse) and instinctive desires (clay horse) through the strength of his will. Alternatively, this may be a triumphal chariot celebrating victory.
Upright: Emancipation, charting one’s own course. A triumph—power, strength, heroism. Reversed: A sudden turn of events. Loss of control. Accident. Tilted left: Falling on one’s face due to overreach or distraction — perhaps by the card below. Tilted right: Insecurity due to personal history. Release self-doubt. ###
The JUSTICE is both the agent and the principle of justice. There is no blindfold, no application of the letter of the law at the expense of the spirit of the law. Her right hand holds the sword of punishment, her left the scales of balance and mercy.
Upright: Thoughtful analysis and careful deliberation. Judging/being judged. One’s conscience. The law / legal proceedings. Calm, poise, integrity. Reversed: Compromised proceedings, injustice, lawlessness. In this, the law does not protect you. Tilted left: Innocence (daisies / white stone), mercy or pardon. Justice delayed. Out-of-court settlement. Tilted right: Sword up, unfavorable judgement, punishment. Warns against unjust behavior. ### 
The HERMIT is elderly; a time of gratitude and circumspection. Leaning on the staff of tradition, he lights the way for others. His light also reveals past mistakes. Will he mentor for spiritual growth and positive change or lead us to repeat past mistakes?
Upright: Showing the way, guiding, mentoring. Facing mortality, the passage of time. Reversed: Age related confusion, personal neglect. Loner, mean-spirited hypocrite. Deceptive corruption, victimizer. Tilted left: Helping one who has fallen. Looking down, shining light on memories, past deeds. He may be referencing a card below. Tilted right: Difficult up-hill climb. Seeking a greater good. ###
The WHEEL shows the endless reality of change in all areas of life. Its turn to the left may refer to the eternal return of of reincarnation and karma. Spinning relates to the energy of life, of chakras, and of celestial bodies. It can also refer to the daily rat race of life.
Upright: Cycles of all kinds. Our vulnerability to change. Even expected change often surprises us, hence the stable tree obscures our view. Reversed: Resistance to change, denial. The rising and falling change of places. A fall from grace. A revolution. Utter chaos. Tilted left: Strivers rise, as expected since the wheel turns left. Tilted right: Help for the disadvantaged. Top figure falls back—a reversal of injustice? ###
The FORCE: A lovely woman opens or perhaps closes the mouth of a lion in courage, strength and fortitude. Hers is not a brutish act, but one of confident mastery; she lives her purpose with dignity.
Upright: Benevolent mastery, speaking one’s truth. Courage with kindness. Reversed: Weak will. Silence in fear of reprisal. Abandoned obligations. Tilted left: Overcoming hesitation, giving voice to difficult truths. Use diplomacy. Tilted right: Going to extremes, forcing one’s own beliefs on others. ###
Cards are discussed in depth in The Tarot: A Strange and Wondrous Thing. See BOOKS in the menu.
The HANGING MAN — punishment perhaps for the crime of non-conformity. Sacrifice, and suffering. Alternatively, it may be a test of initiation, inducing a trance state of revelation or a change of perspective. His head hangs in a ditch, and although the water is far beyond and below, graphically it appears to envelop the head suggesting expanded consciousness. There is also the idea of being bound up, suspended or delayed.
Tilted left (head at right): The figure seems ready to birth himself into something new. Tilted right (head at left): He seems ungrounded, out-of-touch, boxed in by old ideas that no longer serve him. Reversed: This way the Roman numeral 12 reads correctly. He is upright, gingerly stepping over a log—this card counsels prudence! It is a warning that a snake in the grass (spy) may become a hangman’s noose. ###
The REAPER: The ultimate transformation is death, but the appearance of this card does not mean a death is imminent, and of course, that should NEVER be forecast. It does mean that something is ending—a relationship, job, lifestyle, or a set of beliefs that do not serve the greater good. Endings can be difficult, but they allow change
Upright: Something ends. The figure mirrors the Fool reminding us that we each become the reaper, reaping what we sow. Tilted left (face down): An overarching threat—bullying, violence, or even war. Tilted right: A strong recovery (The Reaper falls back laughing!) Reverse: Death or change averted. Slow, partial change, or stagnation. ###
TEMPERANCE: An angel pours liquid from one vessel to another—The title serves as the principle, the action and the name of the figure shown. This is the guardian who receives the soul and accompanies it to the higher realms—an act of grace and healing insuring that nothing is lost—life is not a futile exercise but an enriching experience.
Upright: Artful blending, rhythmic, harmonious exchange. The healing arts and rituals of sanctity and grace. Tilted left (face down): Protecting/comforting one below—maybe the viewer. An act of healing, generosity, hospitality. Tilted right: Watching carefully, receiving impressions, keeping ones counsel. Caution, hesitation, skepticism. An uneasy feeling or foreboding. Reverse: Lack of moderation, loss of self-control. Stuck in a repetitive cycle. Re-examination. Perfectionism. ###
The DEVIL is anything that comes to control us—a person, bad habits, addictions, compulsions to sex or power, but also, outworn beliefs that no longer serve the greater good. But a passionate interest can also be a good thing. When it motivates us in a positive direction, it can make light work of a difficult undertaking. In a bubble of rapt attention, everything else disappears.
Upright: The seductive power of attraction drives destiny, but there is always CHOICE. We choose where to put our attention. Tilted left: The male figure rises to retake control of his life. Tilted right: The female figure rises to take back her power to make the decisions that affect her life. Reverse: Revulsion. Pleasure turned to pain. People rise to break free of victimization or unhealthy repression due to religious or cultural conditioning. ###
The TOWER can be physical disaster, destruction or downfall, but it can also represent total disillusionment, when a person or institution you have trusted falls in disgrace. This can be devastating, but it frees you to rethink your values and find your own truth.
Upright: Any life-changing event that disrupts established ways of thinking and living. The change may be physical or psychological. Tilted left: a revelation from the past destroys an outworn ideology. Crown upside down–reversal of thought. Tilted right, crown knocked off as resources pour out. Economic hardship, must start over. Reverse: A loss that is strangely freeing. Fresh goals, greater self-worth, a new lightness of being. (people are rising). A possible reference to the card above. ###
The STAR represents new hope, renewal and rebirth. It is nature’s comfort when all else is lost (previous card of disaster). One must follow one’s higher guidance, the star. This is known as the astrology card.
Upright: The renewing grace and healing power of nature reminds us of our place in the fabric of the natural world. Tilted right (backward): There is a weakening, temporary disconnect, or loss of focus and confidence. Tilted left: The figure bends forward doing her part, bestowing her gifts, fulfilling her destiny. Reversed: Shows a time of low energy or burn-out. Rest and refresh the well.
The MOON is a card of mystery and beauty. Its cool light is a reflection of the light of the sun. In its executive (#8) authority, it affects growth cycles, fertility, and the ebb and flow of the tides. It speaks of romantic yearnings, of the deepest, most primitive recesses of the mind, and of things hidden, misperceived or imagined in its half-light.
Upright: Its mystery and beauty are emphasized, but the crayfish references primitive instincts. It almost seems to orchestrate the erie howling of the dogs, as if it climbed up and is standing on the rock. Tilted left: Moonrise, night is beginning. It may signal the start of a time of uncertainty and self-examination. Tilted right: the moon is setting at the dawn of a new day, a time of renewed strength and confidence. Reversed: Shows an alternate reality: Astral travel, false friends, hidden agendas, guilt, addictions and delusions. ###
The SUN blesses the earth with warmth and energy. It brings emotional well-being, personal fulfillment and love. It is friendship, harmony and brotherhood. A fortunate marriage, material wealth & security
Upright: A “YES” answer. All things bright and beautiful. Health & vitality, achievement and success. Great joy. Tilted left: Rising sun heralds a period of expansion. New ideas, bright prospects. Tilted right: Excitement wanes. A cycle of growth is coming to a close. Time of reflection and gratitude. Give back. Reversed: A temporary low, loss of confidence. Strained relationships. A “NO” answer. ###
The TRUMPET describes an interior event—a call to a special project, an area of study, a profession or to an obligation of service. It may indicate a need for self review. It could be an epiphany when one’s awareness is suddenly expanded to a larger reality, a more profound understanding of the meaning of life. Upright: Any one of the above or some other important announcement. Tilted left: A message coming into your awareness—a whispering, soft music, or maybe a troubled conscience. It could mean your psychic senses are opening. Tilted right: The call is confused or muddled. Denying one’s own inner guidance, an opportunity slipping away. Reversed: Boasting, betrayal of a confidence, or sitting in arrogant judgement of others. Hateful incendiary speech or an opportunity rejected. ###
The WORLD: For Christians, the corner figures have come to symbolize the four evangelists, but they are derived from the signs of the Zodiac and represent the four divisions of the year. This is the soul’s passage into or out of linear time. Into time at birth or a new incarnation—out of time at death when the soul leaves the body.
Upright: Recognition of achievement, reward. The soul in glory has transcended linear time. It means mastery, fulfillment, universal oneness. A highly favorable card. Tilted left: A glance downward, mixed emotions, nostalgia. Is something unfinished? Are changes or adjustments needed? Follow the gaze. Tilted right: Gratitude for one’s success and those who made it possible. Moving on to new and greater challenges. Reversed: Obstacles to success, fear of success or change. Feeling awkward, unworthy. Denial of mastery. Lack of recognition. ###
Go to MARSEILLES MINIS in the menu for a quick explanation of the triadic reading method. Then, through the examples, learn to interpret the Major and Minor cards in combinations. The triadic reading method may be used for this or any deck having non-scenic pips. THE TRIADIC DECK makes this method even easier to learn and remember.
NOTE: You MAY post any of the cards for discussion on websites, blogs, Tarot forums, and Tarot card display pages with a link to this website, ArcanaPress.net. If you like this site, please promote it to fellow Tarot enthusiasts. Thank you! Feel free to email me: Annette@ArcanaPress.net 
Gifting the Tarot
The Tarot is an endlessly fascinating gift. When you gift the Tarot, you share the legacy.
Gifts from the Tarot
Lighthearted Entertainment: ♦A TRICK-TAKING GAME, still played in Europe and French Canada. ♦STORYTELLING: Randomly drawing cards, to playfully spin a tall tale. ♦ROLE PLAYING and CHARADES.
Intellectual Benefits: ♦A MENTAL FILING SYSTEM for life’s major issues, cards give instant access to associations and personal biases. ♦NEW PERSPECTIVES & CREATIVE SOLUTIONS arise from the random juxtaposition of cards. ♦A MEMORY AID for sequential items ♦BREAK STALE THINKING HABITS by finding meaning in a random array of cards. ♦FOSTERS AN INTEREST IN HISTORY that helps to understand the present. ♦ANTIDOTE TO FRAGMENTATION: quiet contemplation of cards, no commercials, ringing phones, nor text messages ♦TAROT TEACHES THE MIND TO FOCUS.
Emotional & Spiritual Enrichment: ♦A RESPITE FROM STRESS. ♦ ACCESS DEEPER LEVELS OF CONSCIOUSNESS through meditative contemplation of the images ♦BRINGS MINDFULNESS of actions and their consequences. Deciding who you are and what you value helps you deal with unexpected and challenging events. ♦A PATH TO INSPIRATION from the highest source of one’s understanding ♦GREATER APPRECIATION OF LIFE
Intuitive / Psychic Development: ♦Higher Sensory Perception (HSP) or ESP is real. Contemplative people often spontaneously develop such skills. Those who instill fear of such abilities are protecting the authority of formal religion. In light of numerous revelations of ongoing victimization of both adults and children by clerics of such institutions, it may be better to develop one’s own inner compass and follow it toward the greater good. ###
Three Categories of Historic Reproduction Tarots
Facsimile reproductions & Restored Tarots are the most accurate.———A facsimile is made from minimally altered photos or scans of vintage cards. General contrast and color balance may be slightly adjusted, but little more. ———A restoration is selectively altered; dirt removed and damage repaired. Colors that have darkened may be brightened to an imagined earlier state. Digital technology allows subtle adjustments and faded lines to be darkened for clarity.
Recreations differ in that the line art has been traced or redrawn, subtly changing its character. That said, its clean crisp edges, clarify the image. Most artists choose hues that appeal to the modern eye. Those dedicated to historical accuracy, however, will arrange the general colors, i.e., light blue, dark blue, yellow, etc., as the originals knowing that color placement may convey information. Color intensity and value may be altered. This continues the Tarot tradition.
Contemporary Tarots in the European Tradition vary in their adherence to historic detail, but they have fresh appeal and generate great excitement in Tarot enthusiasts. All are NSP (non-scenic pip) Tarots, but artistic style, color palette, and arrangement of colors alter the emotional signature of a deck. In this way, the Tarot continues to grow and change in response to the tenor of the times. ###
Why a Triadic Tarot?
Good historic reproductions are available, yet few are sold here because they lack the scenic English pips that Americans rely on. Books written in English reference the English reading method, which involves extensive study, but the triadic reading method is fun and easy to learn. The Triadic Tarot of 2017 teaches an updated version of a little-known reading method first published by Papus in 1896.
Pips: In this method, cards 1-9 of a suit are thought of in three groups of three cards each. They are 1-2-3—4-5-6—7-8-9. Each group represents a major stage of an undertaking in the realm of that suit. The first group references a NEW undertaking, the second is a time of BUILDING (learning, problem solving, and hard work), the third stage is ADMINISTRATION (operation, maintenance and direction. (Each of the 3 individual cards refines the meaning). So when a pip card comes up, you know which stage is referenced. (See the diagram under Marseilles Minis).——— In the Triadic Tarot, each 3-card grouping or “triad” is arranged on one square card. See the Triad of Commencement 
for the suit of Rods. Commencement means beginning—this card signifies the beginning of an undertaking in the realm of Rods. What is the realm of Rods? Well, that depends your system of attributions. Rods, being the only organic suit emblem, nicely symbolize birth, growth and development. This relates to all creative endeavors, and to the birth, growth and development (including education) of a living being. The top triangle (depending on how this pip square falls) determines which stage of the beginning is called to your attention. All is explained in the Little White Book packaged with the deck.
If you have learned a different suit attribution to rods, you need not change it. The stages apply to the realm of the suit as YOU understand it.
Trumps: Each trump card has the usual single image, but being square, it can be read in any one of 4 (not just 2) orientations. An upright card’s figure is expressing optimally as intended. A figure on its back is not fully expressing (hesitating, held back, or weakened), or is referencing the figure/issue in a card above. A figure fallen forward on its face is over expressing (probably to a negative degree). A reversed card signals opposite characteristics, absence, or misuse of abilities or authority.
Notice what rises: The Empress’s scepter up, emphasizes her power and authority; her shield up, emphasizes her protective qualities. Notice the object of a gaze or gesture. Is she interested in him, or does she turn her back? The Queen of Coins appears to hand her coin (lending figurative or financial support) to the card at left.
The grouping of pips in the Triadic Tarot drastically reduces the number of cards. Having worked with this deck, you will be able to read the non-scenic pips of any historic deck. The Triadic Tarot is a new presentation in the Tarot tradition—I think you’ll like it! ###
The large book, “Strange and Wondrous” is a deep look at the Tarot. (7 full pages) can be read from the BOOKS page in the menu below.