TAROT INTRODUCTION Susan's been a professional tarot card reader since 1986. She loves tarot cards because they've show her how to walk a continuous spiritual path by applying the universal symbols of tarot. On a more practical level, tarot can also provide very clear and accurate answers to specific questions. When Susan does a tarot reading, she asks the person receiving the reading to prepare three questions for the cards. These questions can be on any topic that is important to them - from the most spiritual and esoteric to the most material and mundane -  but over the years Susan has observed that the most-asked question is about relationships. A relationship question can be about a lover, spouse, family member, or co-worker; but always seeking the details of how we interact with others and why. Is this a karmic relationship? Why are we together? What is our future together? The second most-asked question is about career choices. This is a serious question because it effects how we spend most of our waking hours. Career questions also answers money questions because a main source of income is often through work. The third question is usually about health or the best place to live. But people can ask anything to the card; where to go on holiday, schools for their children, what to select for a major in college, questions about their pets, information about relatives, connection to those who have passed on, spiritual path and teachers, or whatever arises to be answered and examined. TAROT and CHAKRAS Elevate your questions by raising them to the highest form possible. Too often tarot cards are used to answer questions that are based on fear, such as  "Does my boyfriend still want me?" The heart is not present. But the same question asked as "What can I do to develop the best in our relationship?" can offer a creative vision. The statement, "I don't like my boss" can be addressed to the tarot as "How can the problems I experience with my boss help me to grow and become aware?" To help you elevate your questions to fully comprehend tarot as a tool for spiritual healing, become familiar with the ancient Hindu system of the seven chakras. (Chakra means wheel in Sanskrit.) Each chakra represents different energy patterns in our body. When all seven chakras are balanced, we can attain our highest level of energy and creative potential. The first chakra, located at the base of the spine, correlates to basic survival issues. In times of war or extreme illness, this chakra is strongly activated. Once survival issues are resolved, procreation can occur through the second chakra, the genital area, which channels sexual and creative energy. The third chakra, located in the solar plexus, represents power and the pursuit of material gain. Most people in the world, consumed with the mundane challenges of everyday existence, live in these three lower chakras. It is the fourth chakra, the heart center of love, caring, and compassion that introduces the realm of transcendence and spirituality. Fourth chakra was personified as the loving kindness of Buddha, the sacred heart of Jesus Christ, the merciful goodness of the Chinese goddess Quan Yin; and in religious and spiritual disciplines that emphasize living from the heart, such as "Love they neighbor as thyself". Moving upwards from the heart, the fifth chakra is located in the throat. This chakra is associated with the spoken work and the power of words to heal (and harm). The sixth chakra, also referred to as the "third eye", is located between the eyebrows. It is associated with creative vision and clairvoyance. Inspiration comes down to use through the seventh chakra, the crown center. In our modern technological environment, many of us have closed the seventh chakra to avoid being overwhelmed by external stimuli. But in a peaceful, meditative environment, we can open the seventh chakra to receive spiritual guidance. Working with the magic of tarot symbolism brings us to the heart center, above the mundane realities of the first three chakras. On a higher metaphysical level, working with tarot cards can open up the seventh chakra of divine inspiration and the sixth chakra of creative vision. Insight communicated through the fifth chakra, tempered with compassion of the fourth chakra, can create a tarot interpretation of the most effective healing alchemy. FOUR ELEMENTS OF TAROT There are 78 card in the tarot pack. 22 are Major Arcana cards. Arcana means secret, or arcane. 40 cards are Minor Arcana cards, which are numbered Ace through 10 and represent the four elements fire, water, air, and earth. 16 cards are the Court cards, or royal figures, which are divided into 4 Court cards for each of the 4 elements. They are depicted as a King, Queen, Knight, and Page in most tarot decks. The King represents mastery, power, and strength. The Queen embodies her element with depth and maturity. A Knight denotes action, quest, and movement. The Page represents exploration, seeking, and learning. Karmic cards of destiny are the Major Arcana, Aces, and Court cards. Cards of choice are 2 through 10 of the Minor Arcana. In tarot, the  four elements are symbolized by a wand, cup, sword, and pentacle (disk). The four elements also correspond to four directions and colors: south red, west black, east yellow, and north white. The four colors also represent the races of humanity. The four elements of fire, water, air, and earth are found in many magical and spiritual systems such as the Native American medicine wheel, the four corners of European pre-Christian ritual, the four elements of alchemical schools of medieval Europe, and the four elements of astrology. Alchemy is to change our bases selves into gold -- radiant and rare. By combining the elements we can transform reality. Fire The exciting, masculine element fire represents will, drive, destiny, creativity, and spirit in action. In tarot, the symbol for fire is a wand, a blazing wand of power. The suit of clubs in a regular playing deck represents fire. Fire is the phallus ejaculating the seeds of creativity. In Chinese medicine the element fire is associated with the heart. Fire myths are Prometheus bound, Satan and his flames, and the Phoenix that rises from its own ashes. The fire signs of astrology are Sagittarius, Aries, and Leo.   Water The element water is the nurturing, feminine element that represents emotions, intuition, spiritual belief, faith, and love. In tarot, the symbol for water is a cup, a round cup that holds water. The suit of hearts in a regular playing deck represents water. Water is the essence of life, the sea of fertility, the amniotic fluid of the womb, and the womb of the Ocean Mother from whom all life emerged. According to the ancient Chinese, water is the most powerful element for it can flow around any obstacle in its path without changing essence. Water myths in the Judeo-Christian-Islamic tradition are the quest for the fountain of youth, Jonah in the belly of the whale, Noah and the ark, the waters of St. John the Baptist, and the waters of the holy grail. The water signs of astrology are Pisces, Cancer, and Scorpio.     Air The masculine element air represents the mind, mental activity, communication, intellect, thoughts, and ideas. In tarot, the symbol for air is a sword that can cut through matter with clarity and swiftness. The suit of spades in a regular playing deck represents air. The Tower of Babel, the wing-footed messenger god Mercury, the Excalibur sword, and the smoke of the peace pipe are air myths and symbols. The air signs of astrology are Gemini, Libra, and Aquarius.   Earth The stable, feminine element earth represents the material world, health, wealth, tangible goods, and the concrete reality of Mother Earth upon whom we walk. In tarot, the symbol for earth is either a pentacle or disk. Earth myths and stories are the minotaur of ancient Crete, the golden calf, Atlas carrying the world on his shoulders, Persephone in the Underworld, and the goose that laid golden eggs. The earth signs of astrology are Virgo, Capricorn, and Taurus. MAJOR ARCANA The 22 cards of the Major Arcana cards are the trump cards that tell the story of the Fool's journey. They are a richly symbolic pattern of a very old mystery. They are: Fool, Magician, Priestess, Empress, Emperor, Hierophant, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Strength, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgement, and World.  For more information about the Fool's journey, read my book Introduction to Tarot, or purchase The Complete Tarot Kit that contains Introduction to Tarot, along with a tarot journal, pop-up reference guide, spread sheet for the cards, and both the Waite-Rider and the Crowley Thoth tarot decks. TAROT and LITERATURE Tarot symbolism comes to life through the characters of classic literature. To better understand myth and symbol, read Memories, Dreams, and Reflections by Carl Jung (Vintage Books). Then read classic literature and great novels to understand tarot archetypes. Tarot archetypes come to life through characterization in literature. The one card that my students and clients have the most problem understanding is the Hanged Man. The novel Things Fall Apart by Nigerian author Chinua Achebe explains the many levels of the Hanged Man. To understand the Queen of Swords, read Pushkin's "The Queen of Spades," which is perhaps the best short story in world literature, in The Complete Prose Tales of Alexandr Sergeyevitch Pushkin. To understand the subtle nuances of the the Minor Arcana suit of Cups, read the Diaries of Anais Nin. Study the classics, seeking Major Arcana archetypes hidden in the pages. Could an aspect of the Magician lurk in Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray? Is the Tower the card for  Mary Shelley's Frankenstein? If you actually sit down and read it, you will discover a classic of Romanticism more suited to the Lovers than to the Tower. It's obvious which tarot archetype inspired Leo Tolstoy's short story "The Three Hermits." Read collections of short stories too, such as Best Short Stories by Guy de Maupassant. Each of de Maupassant's stories can correlate to a tarot card. Try to match each story with a card. The modern Italian author Italo Calvino did just that in The Castle of Crossed Destinies. He illustrated his book with two medieval Italian tarot decks to create short stories. Stick with the classics. Find the hidden archetypes as you read. If you are interested in a tarot card reading, send me an email at susan@susanlevitt.com or call me at 415.642.8019. Please keep in mind time zone differences if you are not calling from the Pacific time zone. Thanks.