In today's world, only a small group of people can do tarot readings. They have been studying possible combinations, positions and layouts for years, memorizing interpretations and listening to the inner voice and the desire of the cards themselves to reveal the future to someone or not. This is a whole art, which is now undeservedly forgotten.
But even at the time of its appearance, in the XIV-XVI centuries, the Tarot was inextricably linked with secrets, occultism and magic, which means it was under the ban of the Holy Church. In the Renaissance, she reached her dawn and was able to take over the minds of the most worthy representatives of the human race. But when people can’t do something, but really want it, there are ways to do it. This is how knowledge appeared, which was passed from under the floor, from mother to daughter, giving birth to entire dynasties.
Deck of cards
A typical Tarot deck consists of seventy-eight cards, which are divided into two large groups.
- Major arcana: there are usually twenty-two. Each of them is unique, has a unique pattern and meaning. Depending on the nature and design of the deck as a whole, the names may be severalchange, but experienced fortune tellers do not see this as a particular problem.
- The minor arcana consists of fifty-six cards, which, in turn, are divided into four suits: Wands, Swords, Cups and Coins or Denarius. Each of them, as in ordinary playing cards, contains an ace, a two, a three, a four … up to ten, and then there are a jack or a page, a knight, a queen and a king. The position of the ace in this sequence is twofold. It can be either the highest card or the lowest. It all depends on what rules the fortuneteller himself accepts.
Design
There are a huge number of Tarot decks of different styles. Each of them represents not only artistic, but also magical value, because each time with the replacement of design, their meaning changes somewhat, acquires new facets and complexities. So, they distinguish:
- Egyptian Tarot, which is based on characteristic stylistic devices and a legend designed for four houses;
- Marseilles, the most common, therefore quite loosely interpreted;
- Visconti Sforza (the most famous deck, the images are stylized as paintings of the Renaissance, made by hand for the order of we althy Italians);
- Rider-White (created in the middle of the 20th century, the most beloved and widespread deck);
- Tarot Thoth (created by famous esoteric and magician Aleister Crowley together with artist Frieda Harris).
Design variations that have appeared on the modern market arecombinations of the main decks. They do not carry that semantic load and cannot be considered authentic. There are even themed designs based on fantasy characters or certain events, such as the Vampire Deck, Tarot-Kama Sutra and many others.
Some philosophical, occult and religious denominations have issued the postulates of their beliefs in the form of Tarot cards and use the deck not for divination, but for their specific practices. This method allows new adepts to be initiated into core concepts through ritual rather than reading ancient tomes.
Parallels
It is believed that Tarot cards were the forerunners of all other playing decks, but no one has received confirmation of this. There are versions that they developed in parallel, or simplified over time, until they reached the modern form. It will not be possible to find out for sure, since those who could shed light on this issue have long since sunk into oblivion and took their knowledge with them.
People sometimes relate the Minor Arcana to regular playing cards, but for some cards, such as the knight, for example, there is no full-fledged equivalent, which makes the version far-fetched.
Legendary Origin
It is believed that the first decks of cards were man-made works of art, made for the Italian aristocracy of the 15th century. They contained the occult knowledge that people of that time had at their disposal. In the same century, the Tarocchi Mantegna deck comes out, which does not consist of78, and out of 50 cards divided into five "houses": Firmament, Foundations of Virtue, Science, Muses and Social Status.
At the end of the Middle Ages, it was no secret to anyone that playing cards came to Europe from the east. There were no images of people or animals on them, as the Islamic religion forbids this. The modern maps familiar to us appeared much later, in France. The hypothesis that playing cards originated from the Tarot is also refuted by the fact that the Joker, considered the only "surviving" Major Arcana, actually appeared much later, in the United States, as an additional card for playing poker.
The first to notice that the Major Arcana are based on the Hebrew alphabet was Eliphas Levi. He correlated their meaning and presented the Tarot not only as a divinatory tool, but also as a magical artifact in other hermetic rites.
Name
The origin of the name of the cards is still not exactly known. But there is evidence that they were originally called "Cards of Triumphs", then by the middle of the sixteenth century, the Italians coined the word "tarozzi" to distinguish the game of tarot cards from ordinary playing cards.
There is also a version that the name comes from the Arabic word for the path - "turuk" or "taraka", which means to leave, to leave. But no consensus has yet been expressed.
Divination function
Occult works claim that Tarot card divination existed long before the beginning of our era and always accurately predictedfuture. But historical data deny this, since the first mention of divination using such decks appeared in documents only in the fifteenth century.
After a century and a half, a book comes out in Italy that revolutionizes the fortune-telling system. It describes how to predict the future from ordinary cards of the coin suit. We can confidently say that since the end of the seventeenth century, the fashion for divination with the help of cards has spread throughout Europe. Many interpretations and decks have appeared.
Queen of Cups
She has many names - Sibyl, Lady, Mistress. According to legend, this card identifies a person whose hopes and aspirations come true. He is not sure that his event will end well, but he is intuitively set up for a good outcome. And thanks to this, such concepts as "Happiness" "Joy" are fully revealed to him.
According to the description, the card depicts a beautiful woman who is trying to use her intuition to find out what is poured into a closed goblet. She sits on a throne adorned with sea creatures by the sea.
Values
Tender, vulnerable, sensitive woman - Queen of Cups (Tarot). The meaning of this card can literally be perceived as the prevalence of emotions over reason and common sense. Denotes a labile, romantic and thoughtful person, whose opinion is important to others. But she/he has lost touch with reality and prefers to live in the world of their illusions.
Neveryou don’t know what the Queen of Cups (Tarot) will do next. The meaning "Inverted" shows that a person is prone to exaggeration, he is wayward, capricious, evil. Unbalance is your main trait.
Love
If a fortuneteller makes a deal on her personal life, then it always has a certain aura of mystery. Especially if the Queen of Cups (Tarot) falls out. The value in relationships (in a direct position) indicates that a person is guided solely by the impulses of the heart and soul, and not by reason. He feels his chosen one well and echoes him in everything. If this card falls to a couple, then love is the main thing in their life. For a man, it is a symbol of love longing, and for a woman, it is an indicator of her sensuality and attractiveness.
But this interpretation is not the only one that the Queen of Cups (Tarot) has. The value in a relationship (inverted) indicates the manipulation of your partner, a feeling of loneliness and uselessness next to him. Having certain neighbors, you can interpret this card as slander and gossip, cunning, suspiciousness, pickiness.
Not an easy thing, this Queen of Cups (Tarot). The value of intuition and heart in love is enormous, but if it was not possible to preserve feelings, then the same force that moved a person to exploits for the sake of his half can turn into a destructive beginning and absorb him.
Career
It often happens that people are asked to tell fortunes about success in work affairs. It's much easier than in amorous ones, and the interpretation here is without fog, that's allclean and clear. The Queen of Cups (Tarot) card, the meaning of which, again, can be interpreted both upright and inverted, promises a creative streak in the intended affairs.
If a person is able to bring an element of harmony, peace and inspiration into his work, then this Lady is for you. It is the Queen of Cups (Tarot) (direct meaning) that shows how much you love your business, evaluate it not only in terms of profit, cherish and cherish. If the Emperor lay down on the table next to her, then get ready for the long-awaited promotion.
Now let's see the reverse side that the Queen of Cups (Tarot) card can present. The meaning can range from lack of career prospects to defiantly inflated conceit. It indicates intolerance for the mistakes of other people, the willingness to sacrifice them for their own interests, the ability to weave intrigues.
He alth
Sometimes a fortuneteller is asked to make a balance on well-being. It happens that the Queen of Cups (Tarot) also falls out. The value of he alth (direct view), indicates a strong resistance to external "evil", resistance to disease and good self-awareness. And vice versa, if the card appeared upside down, then any trick can be expected from your own he alth: depression, colds, even tantrums. Should be more careful soon.
Situations
The appearance of this card in the layout, especially in an inverted position, does not bode well. Such is the lady, the Queen of Cups (Tarot). The meaning of the situation may indicate that there is some ex alted lady in your life,that seeks to either get your attention or make you nasty. Only it is not clear whether she will turn it openly or behind her back? Her pride and rich imagination can put you on a pedestal or throw you off it. It all depends on the situation.
Card of the day
Fortune tellers also like to look into their future. And sometimes the Queen of Cups (Tarot) appears from it. The meaning of the card of the day describes exclusively the state of mind, emotionality, romance, inspired mood and love for others. Intuition works 100 percent, you can even safely play the lottery. If you can trust your instincts, you will reveal secrets that you didn’t even know existed.
White's interpretation
In addition to the main meaning, there is also an astrological version of the assessment of the layout, where the Queen of Cups (Tarot) is present. White's meaning suggests the identification of each arcana with a celestial body and a constellation. In this case it is the Moon in Pisces. It personifies the female essence of the element of water, shows subtlety, empathy, readiness for self-sacrifice. Controlling the subtle strings of the soul, this is what the Queen of Cups (Tarot) strives for. Its meaning is vague, therefore it is also called the dark card, since the beginnings of its wisdom are unknown, and even she herself does not know about them.
Yes/No
We already know what a versatile personality is hidden behind a simple cardboard rectangle. And it is quite likely to assume that the answer to the dichotomous question will be just as ambiguous, but even here the Queen of Cups (Tarot) was able to surprise us. The meaning of "yes or no" comes down to a simple answer -yes.
You can go on and on about how two-faced this lady seems. She simultaneously caresses with her inner warmth and whips with the scourge of resentment. She is the Queen of Tarot Cups. Its meaning and interpretation is always ambiguous and can change beyond recognition if there are strong Major Arcana nearby. It is natural for a woman to change, especially if her astrological counterpart is the Moon. And in terms of variability, nothing will yield to her. As the lunar disk gradually disappears and appears, beckoning with its mystery and mystery, so the Queen of Cups does not show all her sides, but only those that she wants or can. She always turns one side into darkness so that she can change her mind.
So the map, in historical terms, is most consistent with the concept of Anima Mundi or the Soul of the World. Also, her image can be traced in the Queen of Angels and the wife of Odin Erda, who had the gift of foresight and was identified with Mother Earth.
Under the description that the Queen of Cups (Tarot) has, its meaning is direct and inverted, Venus, Cassandra, the goddesses of the Greek Pantheon Moira, who are responsible for the fate of all living, also fit. The insidious, but beautiful and amorous Calypso will also fall into this list and complete it.
Tarot reading is a relatively ancient pastime that was indulged in out of boredom in posh palaces across Europe. Nobody took it seriously back then. Much later, when the predicted events began to come true, enlightened people drew attention to the unusual properties of these decks and began to develop a systemgaining knowledge, layouts and interpretations. They sought not only to know their fate, but also to influence it, to change it. Whether they succeeded is not known for certain, but there will always be those who want to check.
