Contents Preface / xvii Chapter One:Why Learn the Tarot? / 1 On Divination / 1 What Can the Tarot Do for You? / 2 1. The Two of Swords / 3 2. The Seven of Coins/Pentacles / 4 3. The Devil / 5 4. The Ten of Cups / 6 Additional Insight: The High Priestess / 7 My Story / 8 Chapter Two:Where Did the Tarot Come From? / 11 A Capsule History of the Tarot / 11 Myths about the Tarot / 13 Chapter Three:Will the Real Tarot Please Stand Up? / 19 The Structure of the Tarot Deck / 19 The Mamluk Deck / 19 The Standard Tarot Deck / 20 The Main Types of Tarot Decks / 21 Visconti-Sforza Decks / 21 The Sola-Busca Deck / 21 The Tarot of Marseille / 21 Esoteric Decks / 22 The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn / 23 Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot / 23 Crowley-Harris Thoth Tarot / 24 Theme-Based Tarot Decks / 24 Nonstandard "Tarot" Decks / 24 Fortune-telling and Oracle Decks / 25 Chapter Four:Deciding How to Use the Cards / 27 The Many Uses of the Tarot / 27 Tarot and Journaling / 28 Tarot and Creativity / 29 Tarot as a Spiritual Practice / 30 Tarot as an Adjunct to Psychotherapy / 31 The Importance of a Tarot Diary or Notebook / 31 Tarot Ethics / 32 A Hippocratic Oath for Tarot Readers / 32 Special Ethical Considerations / 33 Chapter Five:Associations and Correspondences / 35 Joseph and the Dream of the Pharaoh / 35 Tarot and Number Symbolism / 36 Tarot Birth Cards (Mary K. Greer''s Method) / 36 Tarot Year Card (Mary K. Greer''s Method) / 37 An Alternate Method for Calculating Birth Year Cards / 37 Table of Number Symbolism / 38 Primum Non Nocere / 38 Tarot and the Four Elements / 40 Keywords for the Four Elements / 40 Tarot and Astrology / 41 The Zodiac: A Dozen Parts of a Circle / 41 1. Fiery Aries (Mar.

21-Apr. 19), the Emperor / 42 2. Earthy Taurus (Apr. 20-May 20), the Pope / 42 3. Airy Gemini (May 21-Jun. 30), the Lovers / 43 4. Watery Cancer ( Jun. 21-Jul.

22), the Chariot / 44 5. Fiery Leo ( Jul. 23-Aug. 22), Fortitude / 45 6. Earthy Virgo (Aug. 23-Sep. 22), the Hermit / 46 7. Airy Libra (Sep.

23-Oct. 22), Justice / 47 8. Watery Scorpio (Oct. 23-Nov. 21), Death / 48 9. Fiery Sagittarius (Nov. 22-Dec. 21), Temperance / 49 10.

Earthy Capricorn (Dec. 22-Jan. 19), the Devil / 50 11. Airy Aquarius ( Jan. 20-Feb. 18), the Star / 50 12. Watery Pisces (Feb. 19-Mar.

20), the Moon / 52 The Planets / 53 Sun (the Vital Center) / 53 Moon (Emotions and Inner Life) / 53 Mercury (Communication and Dexterity) / 53 Venus (Love and Affiliation) / 53 Mars (Strife and Conflict) / 53 Jupiter (Expansion and Good Fortune) / 53 Saturn (Contraction and Hard Knocks) / 53 The Four Elements and the Major Arcana / 54 Air: The Fool / 54 Water: The Hanged Man / 54 Fire: Judgment / 54 Earth / 54 The Golden Dawn, the Decans, and Number Symbolism / 54 Spring: Wands--Coins--Swords / 55 Summer: Cups--Wands--Coins / 55 Fall: Swords--Coins--Wands / 55 Winter: Coins--Swords--Cups / 55 Golden Dawn Assignment of Planets to Tarot Pips / 55 The Kabbalah and the Tree of Life / 57 1. Kether (Crown) / 59 2. Chokmah (Wisdom) / 59 3. Binah (Understanding) / 59 4. Chesed (Mercy) / 59 5. Geburah (Severity) / 59 6. Tiphareth (Harmony) / 59 7. Netzach (Victory) / 59 8.

Hod (Splendor) / 60 9. Yesod (Foundation) / 60 10. Malkuth (Manifestation) / 60 Runes and Tarot / 60 Chapter Six:Reversals and Dignities / 61 Tarot Inversions / 61 Is It Undignified for a Tarot Card to Stand on Its Head? / 62 Caveat about Reversed Card Meanings / 64 On Tarot Dignity / 64 Card Counting / 65 Elemental Dignities / 66 Qualities of the Elements / 66 Chapter Seven:How to Ask a Question of the Tarot / 71 Garbage In, Garbage Out / 71 The Oracle at Delphi / 71 The Wisdom of Modern Physics / 72 1. The Method of Questioning / 72 2. The Language We Possess / 73 3. The Means at Our Disposal / 73 What Kinds of Questions Are Best and Least Suited to the Tarot? / 73 Chapter Eight:How to Read What Is Written in the Cards / 75 Tarot as an Art / 75 God Loves a Good Story / 75 The Secret to Reading the Cards / 76 A Storytelling Example / 77 The Cards as Living Entities / 79 Shuffling and Selecting the Cards / 80 Reading over the Internet / 81 Telling Time with the Tarot / 81 Is Telling Time Possible? / 81 The Most Simple Timing Technique / 82 Seasons of the Year Correspondences / 82 How Fast Will Matters Evolve? / 82 Chapter Nine:Laying Out the Cards to Do a Reading / 85 What is a Tarot Spread? / 85 The Daily Draw / 86 One-Card Readings / 87 The Situation / 87 Two-Card Readings / 88 Three-Card Readings: A Nod to Hegel / 89 A Personal Three-Card Reading / 90 Theme and Variations Spread / 91 A Sample Theme and Variations Spread / 91 Interviewing a New Deck with the Theme and Variations Spread / 92 Horseshoe Spread / 93 A Sample Horseshoe Spread / 94 Clarifying Choices with the Horseshoe Spread / 95 The Celtic Cross Layout / 96 A Sample Celtic Cross Reading / 98 A Celtic Cross Reading for a Skeptical Student / 99 Houses of the Horoscope Spread / 100 Reading the Houses Spread with the Entire Deck / 102 A Briefer Twelve Houses Spread / 103 Twelve Signs of the Zodiac Layout / 103 Interpreting the Zodiacal Signs Layout / 105 Tree of Life Spread / 106 Interpreting the Tree of Life Layout / 106 The Inverted Cards Spread / 108 Chapter Ten:The Major Arcana / 109 The Trionfi Cards of the Renaissance / 109 The Christian Influence on the Major Arcana / 110 How to Use the Associations for the Seventy-Eight Cards / 113 0. The Fool: The Idealistic Sorcerer''s Apprentice / 115 1. The Magician: As Above, So Below / 117 2.

The High Priestess: Guardian of Secret Wisdom / 119 3. The Empress: Fertile Goddess of the Birth Canal / 121 4. The Emperor: Ultimate Secular Authority / 123 5. The Hierophant: Bridge Connecting Humanity with the Divine / 125 6. The Lovers: Choosing How to Plow Your Fields / 127 7. The Chariot: Reason Tames Appetite and Will / 129 8/11. Strength: Courage and Animal Passion / 131 9. The Hermit: The Search for Meaning / 133 10.

The Wheel of Fortune: A Time to Every Purpose under Heaven / 135 11/8. Justice: The Lawfulness of the Universe / 137 12. The Hanged Man: Adopting a Fresh Perspective / 139 13. Death: A New Chapter Begins / 141 14. Temperance: Artful Blending and Reconciliation / 143 15. The Devil: A Twisted View of the World / 145 16. The Tower: Sudden Enlightenment / 148 17. The Star: A Glimmer of Hope / 150 18.

The Moon: Things That Go Bump in the Night / 152 19. The Sun: A Ray of Sunshine / 154 20. Judgment: What Goes Around, Comes Around / 156 21. The World: Paradise Regained / 158 Chapter Eleven: The Numbered Pip Cards / 161 The Suit of Wands / 161 A Suit of Wands Exercise / 162 Ace of Wands: The Spark of Life / 163 Two of Wands: Where Do I Go from Here? / 165 Three of Wands: Putting Your Ducks in a Row / 167 Four of Wands: Perfecting Work through Alliances / 169 Five of Wands: Rich Kids Playing War Games / 171 Six of Wands: Leader of the Pack / 173 Seven of Wands: Speaking from a Bully Pulpit / 175 Eight of Wands: Flying with Haste over the Countryside / 177 Nine of Wands: Fighting the Good Fight / 179 Ten of Wands: Weighted Down / 181 The Suit of Cups / 182 A Suit of Cups Exercise / 183 Ace of Cups: Eat, Drink and Be Merry as Love Blossoms / 184 Two of Cups: Soul Mates Falling in Love / 186 Three of Cups: Happy Celebration / 188 Four of Cups: Missed Opportunity, Weariness, and Discontent / 190 Five of Cups: Every Cloud Has a Silver Lining / 192 Six of Cups: Remembrance of Things Past / 194 Seven of Cups: Reflections in the Pool of Contemplation / 196 Eight of Cups: The Decline of a Matter / 198 Nine of Cups: Content in Pompous Circumstances / 200 Ten of Cups: Repose of the Heart / 202 The Suit of Swords / 204 A Suit of Swords Exercise / 205 Ace of Swords: Invoking Intense Force for Decisive Action / 206 Two of Swords: Rapport and Masterful Self-Regulation / 208 Three of Swords: Separation and Heartache / 210 Four of Swords: Solitude and Retreat / 212 Five of Swords: Mourning a Loss / 214 Six of Swords: Like a Bridge over Troubled Waters / 216 Seven of Swords: Unstable Effort / 218 Eight of Swords: The Paralysis of Analysis / 220 Nine of Swords: A Cloistered Nun Suffers Insomnia / 222 Ten of Swords: Pain and Sorrow Gives Way to the Morrow / 224 The Suit of Pentacles (Coins) / 226 A Suit of Coins/Pentacles Exercise / 227 Ace of Pentacles: Opportunity for Material Improvement / 228 Two of Pentacles: Despite the Snags, Keep On Dancing / 230 Three of Pentacles: Together We Can Build a Better Mousetrap / 232 Four of Pentacles: Holding Tight to the Gift of Surety / 234 Five of Pentacles: Money Can''t Buy You Love / 236 Six of Pentacles: Sharing Material S.