Depending on how one defines what tarot is, we can trace back the ancestors of our modern-day decks nearly six hundred years. In that time the cards have evolved from what was most likely a game to our more familiar usage in the metaphysical community as a tool of insight. They have traveled a path that has seen them as everything from a benign form of entertainment, symbolic expressions of the Christian church, the work of the devil, the work of frauds, the manifestation of archetypal energies, and even as tools in modern psychotherapy. Nevertheless, through it all, countless numbers have seen them as the key to their deepest questions and desires.

Many people are intrigued by the cards themselves and their powerful imagery, but even more are put off by the seemingly daunting task of “learning” the cards. There are a myriad of books and a never-ending flood of online media instructing the would-be reader in the “right” way to interpret the cards. In this class, I will attempt to provide a common sense, yet spiritually guided, approach to learning what the cards hold for you…the practitioner.

The workshop is five sessions long and is heavily weighted towards self-discovery and group dialogue about tarot and its interpretation in our lives. The following is a brief outline of what will be covered:

• Session One – A brief history of the tarot and how people have viewed them over the centuries. A discussion of what the tarot is and what it isn’t. What messages do the cards send us, and who, or what, is sending those messages. A group discussion on the ‘language’ of the tarot. The care, feeding, and protection of your cards. Finally, we will talk about the Fool’s Journey and start to delve into the first seven cards of the major arcana.
• Session Two – We will start with a group discussion on insights that arose while participants were working with their cards on a daily basis. We will then continue to explore the rest of the major arcana cards.
• Sessions Three and Four – These sessions will be devoted to learning about the minor arcana cards in a systematic way that will allow the individual to gain their own intuitive glimpses of the cards while finding some grounding in a structure that will make them easy to remember.
• The Final Session – We will tie up any loose ends when it comes to cards that may have not been touched on. We will discuss how to work with the cards in our personal lives as well as read for others. We will talk about a few different spreads and uses of them. We will look at how we can take the knowledge we’ve gained by working with the Rider-Waite-Smith deck and use it with other decks that speak to us in other ways. And finally, I’ll offer a general path of discovery for future development of your intuitive skills.

Although I will be the first to admit that I have way too many decks and would be willing to argue the need for each and every one of them in my life, I also see a practicality in limiting the workshop to one deck for continuity among the group. We require that you bring a standard Rider-Waite-Smith deck to the workshop. Most metaphysical shops, bookstores, and online retailers have these as standard offerings. You can even help support the Society with a purchase of the deck from our Amazon affiliate program. After the workshop I highly encourage you to go out and explore all kinds of decks and see which ones speak to you.

This workshop is for anyone interested in learning the basics of tarot regardless of your experience. If you’ve never seen a tarot deck, that’s perfectly fine. I’ve you maybe bought a deck and dabbled a little that’s ok as well. This workshop will provide the basis to build your personal foundation and so it is appropriate for anyone with the desire to learn a centuries old art.