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 мл оллллллллллп  ллллллллл плм  плллмм    ммлллп ол олллн         ммлл
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          ARRoGANT                CoURiERS      WiTH     ESSaYS

Grade Level:       Type of Work           Subject/Topic is on:
 [ ]6-8                 [ ]Class Notes    [An essay on the history ]
 [x]9-10                [ ]Cliff Notes    [and reading of Tarot    ]
 [ ]11-12               [x]Essay/Report   [Cards.                  ]
 [ ]College             [ ]Misc           [                        ]

 Dizzed: 07/94  # of Words:1,040  School: co-ed public   State: NY
ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>Chop Here>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ>ФФФФФФФФФ
Lesson on Tarot Cards

          Today during this learning experience, you will learn how to tell
your fortune with Tarot cards, what the Tarot cards mean and are, and the
history of the Tarot.

                         The History of the Tarot

          The Tarot cards are basically an old Egyptian "book" which
survived and was passed on until today.  The "book" or Tarot deck,
comprises of 78 cards, in five suits.  4 suits are called the Minor Arcana,
and one suit, comprising of 22 cards, is called the Major Arcana.

          The suits in the Minor Arcana each have 14 cards, and the Major
Arcana has 22 cards, numbered one to twenty-one.  The last card is
unnumbered.  The unnumbered card ironically is the Fool. The 22 Major
Arcana are said to represent the principles of society, agriculture,
virtues, the wise, foolish, etc.

          The different suits in the Minor Arcana are said to represent the
four classes in which the Egyptian society was divided: Kings and nobility
the sword, agriculture by the club, priesthood by the cup and commerce,
symbolised by the coin.  The cards have a definite relation to the number
seven, because twice seven is the number of cards in each suit in the Minor
Arcana, and three times seven is the number of numbered cards in the Major
Arcana.

          The Qabalah, is an ancient Jewish mystical system which expresses
the ten different concepts of creation called the sefiroth.    A mystic, as
he gains experience, imagines himself going from sefiroth to sefiroth, and
the number of paths connecting the sefiroth is 22.

          Another person seized the idea that each of the 22 Major Arcana
was related to a letter in the Hebrew alphabet.  The Hebrew alphabet has 22
letters.  He succeeded in making this into a Tarot deck, also incorporating
the 22 paths of the sefiroth.

          Today's Tarot deck has not only changed in physical design, but
by how the cards are interpreted.  The cards most used for divination are
the Major Arcana.  These cards 22 cards are:

I     Magician             Man in search of knowledge, the answer 
                           he seeks.
II    Woman Pope           Intuition, inspiration, the            
                           subconscious memory, lack of foresight
III   Empress              Human understanding, femininity,       
                           sensuality, beauty, happiness
IV    Emperor              Masculinity, independence, creativity, 
                           action
V     Pope                 Advice, justice, healing
VI    Lovers               Choice, decision
VII   Chariot              Achievement, success, danger of defeat
VIII  Justice              Caution in taking advice, control of   
                           one's fate
IX    Hermit               Time, wisdom, withdrawal
X     Wheel of Fortune     Change, prudence, the eternal rebirth
XI    Fortitude            Strength of purpose, coming danger
XII   Hanged Man           Adaptability, desire to learn, violent 
                           change and sacrifice 
XIII  Death                Change by transformation, rebirth
XIV   Temperance           Moderation, mercy, modification
XV    Devil                The adversary, caution
XVI   The Tower            Punishment, pride, divine inspiration
XVII  The Stars            New beginning, pleasure, salvation
XVIII The Moon             Uncertainty, changeability
XIX   The Sun              Splendour, health, wealth, affection,  
                           treachery
XX    Judgement            Punishment or reward, final            
                           achievement
XXI   The World            Fulfilment, completion on a material   
                           level
      The Fool             Fate, luck, the end.

          That is the first part of the Tarot deck.  It also consists of 56
other cards, which are 4 suits of 14 cards.  What is their importance you
might say?  They have great importance in obtaining a very definite answer
to your question.  Some very short definitions of these cards are:

Cups, Chalices, Hearts:

Ace                     The home and distinct happiness          
Two                     Success by careful thought
Three                   Impulsive decision threaten good ones
Four                    Marriage delayed, bachelor or spinster
Five                    Inability to make a decision
Six                     Imposed upon by untrustworthy people
Seven                   Broken promises by friends
Eight                   Parties or celebrations
Nine                    Dreams and desires will come true
Ten                     Good news, happiness in family
Valet, Knave, or Jack   A close (or long lost) friend
Knight                  A stranger, seducer, get before vanishes
Queen                   Faithful loving woman, gentle & pleasing
King                    An honest man, but hasty in decisions,    
                        not to be relied upon for advice

Rods, Batons, Clubs:

Ace                     Peace of mind, professional success
Two                     Opposition from friends or associates
Three                   Long engagement, and then a fast wedding
Four                    Failure of project, due to friends
Five                    Marriage with a wealthy woman
Six                     Profitable business in partnership
Seven                   Good fortune, beware of opposite sex
Eight                   Someone will use money not his own
Nine                    Disputes with friends, bad quarrels
Ten                     Unexpected good fortune with bad loss
Valet, Knave, or Jack   A sincere but impatient friend
Knight                  Support from an unfamiliar source
Queen                   A nice woman, inclined to be              
                        temperamental
King                    An honest man, generous and faithful

Swords, Spades:

Ace                     Misfortune, bad news, tidings of death
Two                     Change, removal, loss of home, division 
Three                   Journey, bad things in love or marriage
Four                    Sickness, minor misfortunes delay project
Five                    Success in business, harmony in partners
Six                     Use perseverance to make your plans work
Seven                   Quarrels with friends, bad things
Eight                   Be cautious, friends might turn be rivals
Nine                    All kinds of unhappiness in all things
Ten                     Grief, imprisonment, negation of all good
Valet, Knave, or Jack   A lazy person, hinderance in all work
Knight                  Romantic chivalry, brave and enterprising
Queen                   Treachery, betrayal, malice, widow
King                    Man whom ambition over-rides everything

Coins, Pentacles, Diamonds:

Ace                     Important message, or a valuable gift
Two                     A great love affair, opposed by friends
Three                   Quarrels, domestic disagreements
Four                    Unhappiness from bad friends, betrayal 
Five                    Unexpected news; may be business success
Six                     Early marriage; early end. Bad for a 2nd
Seven                   Lies, rumours, unlucky gambler, criticism
Eight                   Marriage late in life, a journey, or both
Nine                    Taste for adventure, travel, changes
Ten                     Money as objective, maybe not result
Valet, Knave, or Jack   Selfish or jealous relative, bad news
Knight                  Patient man, and inventor or discoverer
Queen                   A woman who interferes in other's affairs
King                    Vengeful man, dangerous when crossed.

          These are some short meanings to all of the Minor Arcana cards.
Now everyone who wants their fortune told write your name on a piece of
paper, and put it into this hat or box or whatever. This will determine who
will have their fortune told first and who will have their major fortune
told.

          (Tell everyone's fortune by The Horseshoe Spread, and then tell
one person's fortune by the Royal Spread.)

                                     
                           The Horseshoe Spread

          In this type of Tarot reading, the Major Arcana cards may be only
used or the full deck may be used.  (For class, use only Major Arcana.)

          The Horseshoe Spread is probably the fastest and easiest way to
obtain an answer to a specific question.  The question cannot be a "yes" or
"no" question.  Example: If I choose the first door over the second door,
what will happen?

                         The Layout of the Cards 

            |~~~~|                            |~~~~|
            | 1  |                            | 7  |
            |____|                            |____|
                  
                 |~~~~|                  |~~~~|
                 | 2  |                  | 6  |
                 |____|                  |____|
                        
                       |~~~~|     |~~~~|
                       | 3  |     | 5  |
                       |____|     |____|
                              
                            |~~~~|
                            | 4  |
                            |____|

                   What the positions of the cards mean

Card One    Refers to past influences 
Card Two    Indicates present circumstances
Card Three  Reveals the future in general terms
Card Four   Indicates the recommended course of action
Card Five   Reveals the attitudes of those surrounding the question
Card Six    Indicates obstacles that may stand in the way
Card Seven  Suggests the probable final outcome

