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"How to Use this Book"
A free sample chapter from Tarot Journaling
In 1910, a metaphysician named
Arthur Edward Waite published instructions for a tarot spread he
called “An Ancient Celtic Method of Divination.” It was an ingenious
spread — quick, versatile, and so easy to use that even beginning
tarot readers could get specific answers to their questions.
Since then, the Celtic Cross
has become a perennial favorite among tarot readers. The spread is
so popular, in fact, that most can even overlook one minor detail:
Waite’s “Ancient Celtic Method” isn’t ancient, and it isn’t Celtic,
either. (In fact, Waite’s secret society, the Order of the Golden
Dawn, developed the spread for new members of the group just a few
years before he introduced it to the general public.)
Nevertheless, for the last
hundred years, the Celtic Cross has become a mainstay for tarot
readers — who like the fact that they can use it to explore any
subject or concern, and walk away with a clear, concise overview of
any situation.
The Celtic Cross
The Celtic Cross spread calls
for eleven cards, most chosen at random from the tarot deck. Each
one represents a separate facet of an issue or concern. The first
card, the significator, represents the subject of the reading; the
second card illustrates his or her situation. The third card, which
crosses the first two, describes any conflicts or opposing
influences. Additional cards in the Celtic Cross spread depict the
foundation of the situation, the recent past, one’s highest ideals,
the near future, self-image, public image, hopes and fears, and the
most likely outcome of the current situation.
After you lay the significator
at the center of the spread — because it is, of course, the central
focus of the reading — you can use this mnemonic chant to help you
remember where the rest of the cards go:
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This card covers you.
-
This card crosses you.
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This card crowns you.
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This card grounds you.
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This card is behind you.
-
This card is before you.
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This card represents your
self.
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This card represents your
house.
-
This card represents your
hopes and fears.
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This is what will come; this
is the most likely outcome of your current path.
Those placements aren’t
arbitrary, and the design didn’t originate by coincidence. In fact,
the Celtic Cross spread is so effective because the cards each
reflect the way we think, and the way we see the world.
Naturally, when we think about
our place in the world, our own vantage point is central. Novelist
Mary McCarthy once said, “We are the hero of our own story.” We look
out at the world from our own position in the center of the mix. We
look back at our pasts, and forward to our futures. We find a
foothold in whatever foundation we have developed, and we look up
for guidance from our highest ideals. We picture ourselves from our
own point of view — and we see how our acts, words, and deeds are
reflected back to us by our friends, families, and co-workers.
Finally, before we dare to consider the most likely outcome of our
current existence, we pause to contemplate our fondest hopes and
our deepest, darkest fears.
In the years since its
introduction, the Celtic Cross has served as the framework for
countless tarot readings. The Celtic Cross also serves as the
framework for this book. Each chapter of Tarot Journals is based on
the information the Celtic Cross spread is designed to impart. This
book is a living example of the fact that a written record can
closely parallel and complement a tarot reading.
You don’t need to know the ins
and outs of the Celtic Cross to use this book. You don’t need to be
a master of the tarot, or a longtime, experienced journaler. You
just need a few basic supplies, and a willingness to explore your
life with the tarot as your guide.
If you are ready to start
shuffling and let the cards fall where they may, gather your cards,
your journal, and a pen, and you can get started.
Choosing a Tarot Deck
In order to keep a tarot
journal and try the exercises in this guide, you will need a deck of
tarot cards — ideally, a traditional tarot deck with 78 cards.
The deck that serves as the de
facto standard is Arthur Edward Waite’s Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot.
That’s the same deck that Waite was writing about when he first
introduced the Celtic Cross spread.
Waite designed the deck in
1909, and he hired Pamela Colman Smith to execute his designs. She
took the groundbreaking step of adding a scenic illustration to
every single card. Previously, only Major Arcana cards featured
people and places; Minor Arcana cards generally consisted of a
repeated motif, such as six cups in a row, or seven swords.
Pamela Colman Smith’s
innovation revolutionized the tarot. Suddenly, tarot card readers
could interpret images, rather than memorize the meaning of each
card, or rely on their psychic impressions.
While the Rider-Waite-Smith is
a perennial best-seller, it is not the only deck on the market. In
fact, the Rider-Waite-Smith deck has engendered hundreds of
derivative decks, such as the Universal Tarot and the Gilded Tarot
— both good choices for use with this book. Other decks that lend
themselves to journal work include the Voyager Tarot, the Sacred
Circle Tarot, and the Shining Tribe Tarot.
If you are interested in
myths, legends, classic stories, or the like, you might want to
choose a specialty deck that reflects your interests, such as the
Arthurian Tarot, the Tarot of Oz, or the Celtic Dragon Tarot. If
you feel especially creative, you could even adapt the exercises in
this guide to work with other types of divination decks, such as
The Fairy Ring Oracle and the Witches Runes. Ultimately, for the
purposes of this book, you can use any tarot or tarot-style deck you
like.
Actually, forget about finding
a deck that you merely like. You will have the best results if you
use a deck that you love.
The deck you choose should
fascinate you. You should be mesmerized by the colors, the lines,
the forms, and the style of each card. You should be attracted to
the characters pictured in the cards. You should like their faces,
their hairstyles, their body language, and their clothes. You should
be inspired by their landscape, and intrigued by their
architecture. You should be able to recognize several of the
artist’s symbols — meaningful touches such as accessories, props,
power animals, and astrological references. In fact, you should be
able to imagine yourself living in that world — because on some
level, you will be.
If you don’t already own a
deck of tarot cards, you can find one at most bookstores. When you
go shopping for your deck, try to visit a store or a website that
has a wide range of sample cards on display. Make sure that every
card in the deck is fully illustrated; some decks, especially those
that are reproductions of ancient historical decks, use a simple
repeating pattern or motif for some cards. Look for art that
appeals to you, in color, symbolism, and design. Examine the details
of each illustration.
Shop around for an alternate reality that you really like. You’re
going to spend a lot of time there.
Choosing Cards
For some of the suggestions in
this book, you will work with one card at a time. For others, you
will try your hand at simple card layouts and spreads. You can
choose those cards in several ways:
Follow the numbers. You
could work your way sequentially through the deck. Start with the
Fool, move on through the twenty-two cards of the Major Arcana, and
then work through the four suits of the Minor Arcana: Wands, Cups,
Swords, and Pentacles.
Play favorites. Alternately, you could start with cards you
especially like — or dislike. Start with all of the cards, face up.
Flip through them quickly. Set your favorites aside, and then narrow
your choice down to the ones you need for the exercise.
Try your luck. On the
other hand, you might like to take a ride on the Wheel of Fortune,
and let the deck choose a card for you. Clear your mind. Shuffle
the deck and choose a card, either by cutting the cards or dealing
the top card from the deck. Alternately, you could spread your deck
face down across a tabletop, and move your hand or dangle a
pendulum over the cards until you feel drawn to the card they
need.
No matter how you find you
card — or your card finds you — don’t worry that you might somehow
get the “wrong” card. In journaling, as in tarot reading, you will
always get the card you were meant to see.
Order, order!
When you read tarot cards, no
one expects you to keep the deck in order. Most of us shuffle the
cards thoroughly, stirring and mixing and randomizing them until
some are right-side up, some are upside-down, and some have even
been dropped on the floor.
When you read this book, you
don’t have to follow along in any particular order, either. In
fact, you can work through the exercises in any sequence you like.
You can start at page one and work your way page by page, all the
way through to the appendix and the blurb on the back cover. If you
like, you can flip through the pages and pick an exercise at random
— just as you can shuffle the deck and draw a card at random. You
can even start with the activities that interest you most, or you
can choose to open with any card you have strong feelings about —
whether you like or dislike it.
While some of the activities
in this guide were designed specifically for each card in the
traditional 78-card deck, you will soon discover that most of them
are interchangeable.
Some of the suggestions might
even lead you to create your own activities for each card!
  
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