easy tarot lessons

One of the problems with tarot, and divination in general, is that superstition and fatalism have always been the black cloud people cast over it. We have (well, we used to have) true mystery schools for the explicit purpose of learning how divination works and how it is NOT fatalistic and how the future can be divined and shaped, not just predicted as if one has no choice in the matter. In other words we had “real Harry Potter schools.”

Thanks to religious repression and the superstitions of peasantry, snake oil salesmen, charlatans, and truly awful teachers, especially in the modern age, divination, and tarot (the most popular form of divination other than astrology) has suffered immeasurable damage. People don’t understand it and cling to outdated, disproven, primitive beliefs that only serve to perpetuate the lies modern authors put forth in books on the tarot.

That ends here; and it won’t cost you a penny. True, in-depth explanations and one-on-one training are available for a reasonable fee, but that is neither here nor there. At this point we are simply focusing on how to use a very basic system of manifestation, and when you see results you may want to learn from the real experts; after we have proven ourselves here and now. You can achieve tangible results, physical effects you can point at. You have to do the work. We will only show you how at this time.

So, grab your favorite tarot deck and let’s get to work. If you have read my book on the tarot you will be fully prepared for this exercise and will most likely achieve amazing results. I want to know how it works out, and you know how and where to post on the forums. If you have not read The Easiest Way to Learn the Tarot—EVER!! then you may have to stretch your mind to accept how cards can mean several different things at once, and push past any rote memorizations you may have been taught. Either way, let’s begin.

Below is a screenshot of one of the pages in my book where I detail out the Celtic Cross spread. These card positions should be familiar to you. Instead of reading the card positions ads events foretold, we are going to selfishly pick out cards and forcibly place them in each spot so that we can in effect “create the perfect spread” for 2012. We are using our favorite deck as a vision board by using the spread as a blueprint or organizational chart, allowing each area of our current existence to pull, push, and/or drag us to our 2012 goals. We are going to do this work before “New Year’s eve” (December 31st—thanks to one Julius Caesar) so that when 12/31/11 comes about we have already established a mindset and a basic pattern to usher in the new year. Those of you who are my students of course will have done this before Yule (the true “New Year’s Day”)

Instructions appear below the spread . . .

INSERT SPREAD IMAGE HERE

Here are the changes to make to construct a manifestation spread (based on the CC above). The layout and order of the cards is exactly the same. We are moving from negative (receptive) energy to positive (proactive) energy. We will be utilizing both masculine (aggressive) and feminine (seductive) energies in the process to push and pull ourselves and the world around us to our goals. Many of the underlying methods will be found in Aphrodite’s Book of Secrets but are not detailed here.

First we will choose a goal, a path to that goal, and the general mindset that will carry us along. Let’s start with that now. Choose one card to represent your goal, that one thing you desire most in 2011. This can be a short-term goal (something you may achieve in the next 30-60 days) or a huge goal that you will work towards all year. If you choose a short-term goal you can always build a new manifestation spread after you succeed. If you find that you have only partially succeeded and you know why, you can tear down this spread and build a new one based on the new information and completed progress you have to work with. Sometimes we have to learn from our mistakes, and only after several tries do we succeed. That is the way of life. Magic doesn’t change that. Magic is the process off aligning ourselves and our purpose with the forces throughout nature that desire to help us, just like we associate ourselves with people with whose values we agree.

Place your eventual goal card in Card Position (hereafter: CP) 10 (or CP-10). Focus on that for a minute and cement it as the right card to illustrate and embody your eventuality. Now take the card that represents the path you must travel and place it in CP-6. These are things you must do to get to CP-10, or your goal. Stop again and spend at least a minute ensuring that these two cards work together and make sense both intellectually and emotionally to you. Breathe them in and feel the weight of their blended energies.

Now we find the card that represents the overall mindset you will need to carry you through to your goal. This mindset is your totem, your daily talisman. It is supportive and constructive. It can be the benefits you hope to achieve from reaching your goal or your secret desire that pushes you on, a need that won’t let you fail. Place this card in CP-9 and see how these three cards work together to speed you along. These three cards should be your focus and they should provide a clear psychic path to your destination. If not, change the cards until they do. Spend a few moments seeing these cards locked in place, paving a smooth road between you and your destiny.

Next we need to find out where you are now.

Sit a moment and go through your cards until you find one you feel represents your current state of being. This is you now in relation to you goal. This you will place in CP-1 and simply allow it to be. Pick a second card to represent your past, as it relates to your present position and your eventual future (your goal). We all have a history. We all have countless actions and events that have affected us, made us who we are, and who we are not. We are looking for the one card that relates to your progress in your goal. This card may be an environment we are leaving behind, or something from our past that has motivated us to become our goal. It should be a strong force in your life that has transpired and left an impact on you. Please place this “past card” in CP-4 and let’s move on.

Now that we have a clearer understanding of what you want, where you are now, and has brought you to this place, let’s look at “why” this is important to you. This may appear easy but it is imperative to get this right. Look deeply into yourself and think about what it is, internally or externally, that makes this goal so important. Why do you have to have it? What drives you so powerfully that it forces you to ignore distractions? This card should be more powerful than anything circumstance throws in your path to dissuade you or distract you from your chosen destiny. Life is always offering us compromises, and some are better taken. This card allows for no compromises. This card demands you succeed. What is it? What is behind your desire? Place this card in CP-3 and take a moment to see how your spread is coming together. Make any minor adjustments you feel are necessary or continue to the next step.

At this point we are very clear on what you want, how best to get there, and why it is important enough to make the journey. But what crosses you? What is circumstance saying to you right now about your plans? Let’s imagine, for a moment. That your goal or CP-10 card was to go on a picnic today. This new card we are considering will tell us whether it is raining or sunny; whether you have a picnic basket and tasty food, or if you have to go to the store and get all of these things before you can start to prepare food. This card shows us who your friends or enemies are; who is most affecting you now. If your goal is to take a class in pottery this card can tell us whether you have a scholarship or if money is tight. If money is not the primary circumstantial issue, this card may represent family support of your plan to become an artist or their cross-purpose insistence that you become a doctor. Is circumstance working for you or fighting you? Is the wind at your back or is it blowing everything everywhere, and sand in your eyes?

Place this card across CP-1. Make it CP-2 and reverse it if necessary to indicate the complexity of circumstance.

Given everything we now know, it is time for a bit of speculation. All planning requires speculation, a projection of facts onto the unwritten future. We have to guess in life but the best guesses are most often the ones that are supported by research. We have a solid foundation to “guess” at the next card. Take all of the time you need to figure this particular card out. Please do not simply slap a card down at random, or one that indicates wishful thinking. This next card will represent what will most likely happen along the way to your goal. Once you start taking action who do you expect to encounter along the road? What will be the result of your taking action? What will people say and what will they do? We are painting in broad strokes with this card. We are looking to see what the prevailing winds will carry. It is best to know in advance what reaction the world around you will have to your staking your claim and starting on your journey. Do you expect to find support or resistance, adventure of challenges? This card hangs over you. It may end up shaping your destiny or it may be a bullet you dodge. But it is important enough that you need to be aware of it for it will directly affect your progress (CP-6) and your destination (CP-10). Once you have this card firmly in hand place it in CP-5 and step back and look at your spread again. Everything should make sense and show a clear path to your goal, albeit not without a few bumps in the road.

Finally: These last two cards will define our vision. They will limit our focus and give us something to push away from, and a barometer of the importance of other’s input. First let’s choose a card to see what other people who are important to us or directly affect our life or progress think of us. Do we have support from our friends and family? Does the market support our business plan? Are we running counter to the prevailing wisdom? Are we rebelling against the status quo? This card shows us what outside influences have to say on the matter. These are the people who judge us. This is our world; are we in synch with it or are we trying to break free of it? Look for a card that shows what the people around you think or act like. Place this in CP-8 and ignore them for the moment.

The last card will be a direct reaction to the one above it (CP-7) and it will also be affected by CP’s 1, 2, 3, 4. This card should represent pressure. It is what you resist, what you reject and push away from. As much as CP-9 is what you draw to you, or in marketing terms: “moving towards” motivation, this card is “moving away from” motivation. This is what you are ridding yourself of in the process of attaining your goal. This card should represented outdated or unwanted circumstance, relationships, or resources. Pick a card that clearly represents what you so strongly dislike that it physically pushes itself from you. Place this card in CP-6 and step back.

Look at the entire spread. It should paint a clear picture of the totality of your state of affairs, desires and dislikes, and both positive and negative motivation to reach that goal.

Place this spread where you will see it several times a day. If necessary take a picture of it and print it as large as reasonably possible and put that image up where you will be forced to see it several times a day. Don’t ignore it when you see it. Absorb it. Trust it. Make it a part of you. In good times draw a little smiley face in the blank areas when you make steps toward your goal. In bad times study it and see that it is a process in motion and that your commitment to the plan is what calls for the invisible friends, your happy-helpers whose hands work unseen on other people and on circumstances to bring your plans to fruition. Take faith that your focus is feeding the process. Remember to come back when you make progresses (large and small) and thank your guides and gods—or whatever and recommit to making your desires your daily reality. Celebrate every victory in small ways that do not detract from your progress (don’t overspend in your celebrations).

—Dusty