Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Okay - everyone who is still following this thread, please draw a tarot card and tell me which card you have drawn. Without thinking, please tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the image on the card. Why does that come to mind particularly? Is it a feeling you get from any specific part of the image? Is your answer affected by the name of the card?

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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I drew a card from a GD ritual tarot. It is the Sun. First thing that I noticed in the card were the kids. And the first thing that comes to my mind is happiness. Many different reasons why that comes to my mind. But it comes from the name of the card and the sun itself in the image. It looks like very content.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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RockDemon wrote:I drew a card from a GD ritual tarot. It is the Sun. First thing that I noticed in the card were the kids. And the first thing that comes to my mind is happiness. Many different reasons why that comes to my mind. But it comes from the name of the card and the sun itself in the image. It looks like very content.
Perfect - thats a very good interpretation of the Sun card from just the imagery alone. The Sun is often shown with kids, or with a semi-childish overtone as part of its meaning is growth and personal development.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote:Perfect - thats a very good interpretation of the Sun card from just the imagery alone. The Sun is often shown with kids, or with a semi-childish overtone as part of its meaning is growth and personal development.
Yes , and I get this fresh start feel from it.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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From Scapini deck – Knight of Wands.
First thing that came to my mind – a good start for a very long journey.
On this card, I see a young warrior with strong feelings, will and focus but lacks the understanding of them. He sits proudly on his hours without any attention to look back, driven by the desire for something new (appealing city in front of him). He knows from where he came from but doesn't know where the journey will take him. I read his deep connection with his roots from brown colors in the picture, his forest outfit, a drum and a big wand (which he obviously had to deserve because nobody gets a wand like that for a present).

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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He sits on his horse not hours - sorry guys long day :)

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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The way I read tarot, the court cards tend to represent people who are either in your life now, are will come into your life in the near future. If the card appears as the first card drawn in a spread it can also mean that you have to take on or become the aspect of yourself that that card represents. With that in mind, can you think of anyone you know who reminds you of the words attached to that card? When you look at that card, and read what the associated meaning is, do you think to yourself 'that reminds me of my sister', or 'that's exactly like my teacher'. Gender isn't that important in tarot, so a Knight may equally be a strong and assertive female as a Queen can be a protective and loving man.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Looking at this card and relating it with it's name in a way that you described, I would honestly say that is directed towards me - "take on or become the aspect of yourself that that card represents".

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Vjetruša wrote:Looking at this card and relating it with it's name in a way that you described, I would honestly say that is directed towards me - "take on or become the aspect of yourself that that card represents".
Thats absolutely brilliant - well read. Now, maybe consider drawing a second card as whats called a 'clarifier'. This second card will provide you with more information on how you can gain the aspects of the Knight of Wands. Remember that Wands is all about passion, it's the firey suit of tarot, so as the Knight of Wands you have to have passion for what you do.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote:
Thats absolutely brilliant - well read. Now, maybe consider drawing a second card as whats called a 'clarifier'. This second card will provide you with more information on how you can gain the aspects of the Knight of Wands. Remember that Wands is all about passion, it's the firey suit of tarot, so as the Knight of Wands you have to have passion for what you do.
You want me to report my reading of the second card or this should be just for my understanding of the first card?

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote:Okay - everyone who is still following this thread, please draw a tarot card and tell me which card you have drawn. Without thinking, please tell me the first thing that comes to mind when you look at the image on the card. Why does that come to mind particularly? Is it a feeling you get from any specific part of the image? Is your answer affected by the name of the card?
Six of Swords. Meep. Lots of fighting incoming. 6/10 intensity.
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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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I just had to post this. After drawing the 10, I continued to draw each card in sequence since the initial shuffle. I don't know how to explain it but it felt like not only did I mentally predict my future till death, but past it into a next life.

Things to point out; I have two blank cards. Each came out at a time I thought should be a life-changing encounter.

Random predictions; especially so I don't forget.

I start off as a fool, with a great deal of work ahead. I spend some time with my significant other only after it's been dealt with.

We're supposed to have twins in the future, apparently.

Afterwards, I die shortly after the beginning of a great war. I meet temperance and the wheel of fortune.

In the next life, I'm supposed to play as another girl, with the far higher numbers on the cups, pentacles and wands drawn. The empress card appears during her lifetime. Very soon after, the Devil appears and the last few cards were the high priestess, the emperor, judgement, and the hermit.

Mmmmmm. Delicious future-reading.
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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Vjetruša wrote:
Clockwork_Ghost wrote: You want me to report my reading of the second card or this should be just for my understanding of the first card?
Up to you - if you wish to share the second card then feel free - often when you draw a second card for clarity its hard to explain it to others, it will just clarify thoughts you already have or give you some inner 'voice'? I don't know if thats the right word. Anyway, leave that decision up to you my friend.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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cyberdemon wrote: Afterwards, I die shortly after the beginning of a great war. I meet temperance and the wheel of fortune.
So you find peace and reincarnate?
cyberdemon wrote: In the next life, I'm supposed to play as another girl, with the far higher numbers on the cups, pentacles and wands drawn. The empress card appears during her lifetime. Very soon after, the Devil appears and the last few cards were the high priestess, the emperor, judgement, and the hermit.
So in your next life motherhood factors strongly, which makes you feel trapped and tied down to a life you never wanted, but this gives you great insights into how life should be lived, the way to be the master of your own destiny, and divorce. You then spend the rest of your days removed from society, but imparting great wisdom from within your seclusion?

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote:
cyberdemon wrote: Afterwards, I die shortly after the beginning of a great war. I meet temperance and the wheel of fortune.
So you find peace and reincarnate?
cyberdemon wrote: In the next life, I'm supposed to play as another girl, with the far higher numbers on the cups, pentacles and wands drawn. The empress card appears during her lifetime. Very soon after, the Devil appears and the last few cards were the high priestess, the emperor, judgement, and the hermit.
So in your next life motherhood factors strongly, which makes you feel trapped and tied down to a life you never wanted, but this gives you great insights into how life should be lived, the way to be the master of your own destiny, and divorce. You then spend the rest of your days removed from society, but imparting great wisdom from within your seclusion?
More like I have unfinished business and reincarnate. Mommy issues? I have them now, which is the telling factor. The unfinished business being those insights into how life should be lived, and mastering destiny in the next life.

I can't really tell whether the last few cards point towards the "judgement day" belief (similar to Abrahamic tradition) that I believe/hope is coming, or something else entirely. But most of all, for the end of two lifetimes of predictions, having the hermit card draw final is just too out-there for me to comprehend because everything until the judgement card my instincts could automatically read.
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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote: Up to you - if you wish to share the second card then feel free - often when you draw a second card for clarity its hard to explain it to others, it will just clarify thoughts you already have or give you some inner 'voice'? I don't know if thats the right word. Anyway, leave that decision up to you my friend.
My second card was - Hanging man - reversed. What I saw from that is - habit, stubbornness and ego that defy intuition - which is pointing toward the first card.
Speaking of "inner voice", right? :)

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Vjetruša wrote: My second card was - Hanging man - reversed. What I saw from that is - habit, stubbornness and ego that defy intuition - which is pointing toward the first card.
Speaking of "inner voice", right? :)
Absolutely perfect :) This is what tarot is ultimately all about, linking cards to make a story. The problem a lot of tarot readers seem to encounter, and I know I did, is when you set too rigid a structure for your reading as this ends up turning what is a story into a mathematical problem instead. One of the ways people do this is through using either too complex spreads or focusing on each card in isolation and not using them to form a full reading. These two are actually interlinked - its so easy to take a twenty card spread and do twenty single card readings from it - this is your future, this is the problem you will face, etc. Fight this compulsion to make tarot a 'fill in the blanks' thing and instead take a moment to look at the whole spread and see how the cards inter-relate.

When looking at the complete picture, look for themes - are there cards with the same number? Are there more of one suit? Are there lots of majors? All this adds to the story. Each suit tells a story and can be seen as a progression of events that happen in the theme the suit represents - I'll go into this more in depth later, but knowing the story of each suit will help you immensely when you read instinctively. Linking cards together is the first step in creating this story, so I challenge all those who are following this thread to now draw two separate cards and then put them together into a sentence... I'll start... Six of Wands and Three of Cups - recognising others for the hard work they put in will make them more likely to treat you as a friend.

Your go...

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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THE FOUR SUITS OF THE TAROT READ AS STORIES
The four suits of the tarot can be read as four separate stories within the deck, starting at the Ace and reading through to the Ten. Each suit focuses on its own core correspondence – Swords being Scientific Thought, Wands being Imagination, Cups being Emotion and Pentacles being Materialism.

Let’s look at each story in turn:

The suit of Swords such a miserable tale if you read it as a story. Someone becomes enlightened (A), but is wracked first with indecisiveness (2), then sorrow (3). They take a break to recuperate (4), but are again beaten down the moment they set off again (5). A period of retreat and self reflection (6) turns into agreements being broken (7), feelings of being trapped (8), worry, anxiety (9), and finally complete rock-bottom defeat (10). Any ideas why the suit supposed to represent thought is such a depressing tale of failure?

Wands starts off with so much more promise than Swords, but also falls to pieces along the way. First you are born (A), and in being a new creation have so much potential, you simply need to choose the path to take (2). You create long term plans early on (3), these bring rewards and a period of celebration (4) - you compete with others (5), and receive recognition for your efforts (6). Suddenly you're forced to defend yourself (7), this causes swift and energetic results (8), but these results only serve to deeply wound you (9), make you call upon your inner most reserves, and ultimately become a burden that must be shared lest it overwhelm you (10). How come so much promise so swiftly puts you on the back foot? Is this a case of the soul being overcome by the ego?

Then we have the Pentacles, and the pattern reverses slightly. This time we start with the planting of seeds to bring opportunities in the long run (A), followed by a slight road-bump as first we juggle responsibilities (2), require assistance as our investments are yet to bear fruit (3), followed by a period where we struggle for stability (4) and are told to save at all cost. After another period of instability and scarcity (5) we find ourselves suddenly in a position to give back to those who helped us (6), and to help others. Then, through diligent hard-work, trial, and error (7 and 8 ) we reap those rewards we first planted (9) and the story ends with us wise, wealthy, and with a legacy which will out-live us (10). Is this merely a lesson in saving for the future, or can you see other meanings within?

Which leaves us with Cups, which again follows a pattern reversed from Wands and Swords, but oddly very similar to Pentacles. We begin with a blossoming new friendship/relationship (A) which grows into love and mutual respect (2). A period of fun and happiness (3) causes feelings of withdrawal, indifference, dissatisfaction and boredom (4) - maybe too much fun for too long and it just gets bland? Another road bump as disappointment and mourning takes over (5), some nostalgia (6) which only sees you remember the good things (7), not the reasons why everything fell to pieces in the first place, but then a period of contentment through the undertaking of some form of spirit-quest (8 and 9), which ultimately ends well with everyone happy and feeling like part of the family (10) ... what do you guys reckon?

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Clockwork_Ghost wrote:
Vjetruša wrote: My second card was - Hanging man - reversed. What I saw from that is - habit, stubbornness and ego that defy intuition - which is pointing toward the first card.
Speaking of "inner voice", right? :)
Absolutely perfect :) This is what tarot is ultimately all about, linking cards to make a story. The problem a lot of tarot readers seem to encounter, and I know I did, is when you set too rigid a structure for your reading as this ends up turning what is a story into a mathematical problem instead. One of the ways people do this is through using either too complex spreads or focusing on each card in isolation and not using them to form a full reading. These two are actually interlinked - its so easy to take a twenty card spread and do twenty single card readings from it - this is your future, this is the problem you will face, etc. Fight this compulsion to make tarot a 'fill in the blanks' thing and instead take a moment to look at the whole spread and see how the cards inter-relate.

When looking at the complete picture, look for themes - are there cards with the same number? Are there more of one suit? Are there lots of majors? All this adds to the story. Each suit tells a story and can be seen as a progression of events that happen in the theme the suit represents - I'll go into this more in depth later, but knowing the story of each suit will help you immensely when you read instinctively. Linking cards together is the first step in creating this story, so I challenge all those who are following this thread to now draw two separate cards and then put them together into a sentence... I'll start... Six of Wands and Three of Cups - recognising others for the hard work they put in will make them more likely to treat you as a friend.

Your go...
So I drew 2 cards having in my mind my current spiritual development. I've got Temperance and 2 of cups. I'm using GD Ritual Tarot. The divination seems to be pretty straight-forward. There is a bow with an arrow which is being drawn by the legs of the lady in the Temperance Card. Then she's holding 2 cups in her hands with energies flowing between them , which resembles 8, infinity symbol, which means the energies are being balanced. This process is further described in the second card. 2 of the cups. This card is like a zoom in into the 2 cups which temperance lady holds. 2 of cups indicates that I am in the balancing process, I found my will ( the arrow of the temperance lady ), and now need to balance/ am balancing myself. By doing so I will draw the bow stronger. So that then the arrow is released and it flies up to the spiritual heights, higher consciousness/Shiva - The sun and the wings of the temperance (also the High Priestess is situated just above the temperance in the Tree of Life). Thus I will achieve balance, as is indicated by the background of temperance lady. There are all elements , fire,water,air,earth. There are some very personal matters I can relate further to the 2 of cups. The Cancer sign in that card assures me more that I'm on the right path, as it is my sun sign.
Also the wings of the temperance lady is similar to the one of the death card in the same deck. Which may speak about to be able, to prepare for release and letting go? The arrow should be released after all.
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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Wow! Seriously...wow!! That is an absolutely brilliant way to read - that is true instinctual reading, RockDemon, absolutely blows me away! Yes, the Two of Cups is a balance-focused card, as all four of the Two cards in the deck focus upon balancing choices - Two of Wands is about choosing between two options based on the long term potential of each choice, Two of Cups is about finding a balance between two options in order to create a state of harmony and well being, Two of Swords is about indecision in regards to a hard choice that must be made, and Two of Pentacles is about multi-tasking. This is the same with all the numbers - each numbered minor carries a similar theme to other similarly numbered cards from the other suits.

What people always seem to do when they start learning tarot is search for the 'correct meanings', but again this is turning a story into a mathematical problem and searching for absolutes. Being able to take a theme and adapt that theme based on the question asked is a learned skill, and being able to then see such things as Cancer relating to your own sun sign is absolutely awesome.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Thank you CG. I am usually not so good at reading, I was amazed myself after writing that. In fact I learnt so much symbolism but never tried to connect them. I always felt that the cards somehow create a story but for some reason didn't try to read it. You really encouraged me to do so, thank you. And I didn't read THE FOUR SUITS OF THE TAROT READ AS STORIES yet. I will read it today for more inspiration. By the way I also want to do the previous exercise in this lesson. The Fool's story. I don't know if I can do it as good as this one but I'm really inspired to do it. Would you mind to read it and give some tips if I post it here?

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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RockDemon wrote:The Fool's story. I don't know if I can do it as good as this one but I'm really inspired to do it. Would you mind to read it and give some tips if I post it here?
Of course [thumbup]

The Fools Journey is all about the Fool, each card in the major arcana representing something which happens to the Fool on his progression from his deciding to exert his will and take full control of his life (The Magician) to fully realising his potential and emerging as a complete human (The World). Really look at the cards - lay the majors out side by side in a line as you read them, and read the story as if you were the Fool. What lessons do you learn from each card? How does the previous card lead in to the meanings of the cards which follow it? Also, have fun with this - tarot is so much easier to read once you drop the idea that there is only one way to read it. Some of the best readers I've met have taken the tarot and developed their own meanings for the cards based on personal experiences, and this opens your mind up yet forther to seeing those essential story linkages.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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Okay, so I haven't got a deck so I used this website:

http://www.tarotlore.com/tarot-reading/freestyle/

I drew four of pentacles reversed at first. Looking at the picture what immediately came into my mind was the gaze - I knew that was me and something I am sure of, something that I am doing right now. There is a lot of things going on with my band and that was the first idea that came to me. Brushed aside it still seemed like a figure with some kind of power but there also is a warning to be cautious.

Next was King of Wands reversed I drew to expand on the meaning of the first one. There is no doubt that a place of power is the main theme, and it may signify that I may be pushing too far and to blindly. It seems like an advice to continue doing what I do but cautiously.

So, let's read meanings.

Four of Pentacles reversed says: "He holds to that which he has." - as this resonated pretty strong it gave me an much broader view on the situation. I hold something of some importance concerning the things I do, and it could be a damn well time to start doing it. Suspense is here, delay is present as the meaning of the card points to.

King of Wands reversed - "The physical and emotional nature to which this card is attributed is dark, ardent, lithe, animated, impassioned, noble. "
There is complete opposite of this description which corresponds with the reversed card. But as it also signifies honesty - and that is what I lack here.

So in conclusion, patience has ended. It is time to act passionately, but cautiously. It will be good but hard to do, austere yet passionate as an end result if I'm able to govern the situation right. That means tact, asking for honesty where it may come, doing where there is none.

If the idea of tarot is to find a balance in a situation then, I did impressively good. I could say that I am shocked by the results. Is it only me? [greensmile]

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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SUIT THEMES
As I've already mentioned, each of the four suits in tarot has a distinct theme specific to that suit. Each number in that suit then represents a concept that is distinctly similar to other cards in the other suits that also bear that number. Lets first explore the suit themes, then I will look at the number themes in a later post.

Pentacles: This is the suit of worldly possessions, and is ruled by the Earth element. The cards in this suit speak of issues related to the home, money and careers. Pentacles also explores concepts related to both generosity and greed.

Wands: The suit of creativity, passion and inspiration, ruled by the Fire element. These cards relate to our ambitions, goals and dreams, and tend to focus on the merging of mind and spirit. Wands is also the suit which looks at sexuality, and an abundance of Wands cards in a reading may suggest romance.

Swords: This is the suit of action and intellect, and is ruled by the Air element. These cards focus on change, conflict and power dynamics. The most destructive suit of the tarot, Swords reminds us that sometimes we must completely destroy in order to begin to create anew.

Cups: The suit of emotion, ruled by the Water element. The cards here address the quality of our relationships, and connection to others. While close in meaning to Wands, Cups is more about friendship than sexuality, and focuses more on mutual gain rather than the fiery passion of Wands.

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Re: Three places - How to Read Tarot

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EternalReturn wrote:If the idea of tarot is to find a balance in a situation then, I did impressively good. I could say that I am shocked by the results. Is it only me? [greensmile]
You did exceptionally, absolutely beautiful interpretation. Remember that the court cards in tarot tend to relate to people you will meet, people you already know, or a very specific mindset within yourself.

Now... this next bit might blow some minds, but I never use reversals - I used to, and I read using them for years, but eventually I started to realise that they were just making things overly complex and there are plenty of nasty bad cards in a tarot deck without also reversing the good cards too, plus quite a few meanings for reversed cards aren't actually in opposition to the meanings of their non-reversed alternatives, so you then need to remember another 78 meanings, and I've only seen a handful of decks which show those reversed meanings in the images themselves.

I'm not going to tell anyone to stop using reversals, it's a personal choice and there have been many arguments over whether they add to or detract from tarot as a whole, but maybe consider alternating between using them and not using them and see which works best for you?

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