The card at the bottom of your tarot deck is known as a shadow card. The shadow card stands for your deepest feelings and anxieties. As a result, it would be consistent with the tarot card known as “your hopes and concerns” that appears in the Celtic Cross spread’s ninth place.
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What does the card at the bottom of the deck mean?
In my tarot practice, I recently changed what I was doing. Since recently, I’ve been drawing two cards per day in addition to the daily cards I’ve been drawing (mostly but not always in the morning). I turned my deck over to look at the card at the bottom of the pile rather than just drawing the next card from the pile or even shuffle-draw-shuffle.
Tarot readers have a long-standing custom of inspecting the card at the rear or bottom of their deck for a variety of reasons. It goes by many names, including “shadow card,” “base,” and “foundation card.” Some people use it as a technique to start a tarot reading in order to establish the mood or the reading’s main topic. Others find that the card at the bottom of the deck offers a “secret message,” an additional and essential tip that is frequently concealed. According to Bridget @ Biddy Tarot, “the bottom card gives great insight into the client’s subconscious mind and alludes to the underlying components that are impacting the current issue. Another option is to conclude the reading by using the bottom card.
When a tarot card is pulled from the deck, what does that mean?
An old tarot proverb states that if something falls to the ground, it is at the door. Typically, we interpret this to mean that when a card is drawn from the deck, it signifies an impending event.
What components make up a tarot deck?
Wands, batons, or rods are used for clubs; cups are used for hearts; swords are used for spades; and coins, pentacles, or disks are used for playing cards (diamonds). Four court cards are in each suit. 10 numbered cards, a king, queen, knight, and jack, as well as The value sequence in each suit is from aces to ten, followed by jacks, knights, queens, and kings (though the ace is sometimes assigned a high value, as in modern playing cards).
Have you ever wanted to shake your old Magic 8 Ball to bits to assist you through adulthood?
Your loved ones may not always have the solutions you’re looking for. Who then does?
It all probably comes down to whether or not you think the universe is powerful and has magical ways.
Tarot cards have been a tool used by oracles and fate tellers for millennia to assist people through the ups and downs of life. Tarot cards are also a way to ponder and, if necessary, seek counsel, despite the fact that many people may discount their value. Particularly when you’re feeling depressed.
Many people are unaware that using them doesn’t require you to be a fortune teller. We’ll walk you through a step-by-step tutorial on how to read tarot cards correctly.
Tarot cards. These are rather simple to locate online.
If you’re really into it, lighting some candles and getting out those crystals you’ve been holding onto wouldn’t hurt too.
It’s time to purify your cards and infuse them with your own energy. Because it involves punching the deck, this is enjoyable.
- On your non-dominant hand, lay your tarot deck face down.
- Visualize your own energy being transferred into the tarot cards as you expend extra energy from their previous use. With your dominant hand, make a fist and knock the deck once.
- Time to move forward. Think about any questions you’d like to have answered before shuffling the cards. Or just ask the cards for advice on what to do next.
- Stop shuffled and cut the cards three times with your non-dominant hand when you feel the timing is correct.
With your non-dominant hand, lay the cards down in a line, then choose three. One in the centre, one in the right, and one on the left.
- Your past and the decisions you made to get to where you are today are represented by the card on the left.
- The middle card serves as a representation of your current situation and mental state.
- Your future and the following stage of your trip are represented by the card to the right.
Each card has two interpretations, one while it is upright and the other when it is inverted.
Keep in mind that there are no bad cards in the tarot deck. The presence of a negative energy in the card simply indicates that there is a lesson to be taught. To avoid missing anything, make sure you’re paying close attention to these cards. The universe normally wants you to discover some critical messages here.
Major Arcana and Minor Arcana cards are the two subsets of tarot cards.
The trump cards are the Major Arcana, and they typically have more force behind them. These cards provide incredibly important teachings.
The Suit of Cups, the Suit of Pentacles, the Suit of Swords, and the Suit of Wands are the four divisions of the Minor Arcana.
- Cups are symbolic of partnerships, connections, relationships, sentiments, and emotions.
- Pentacles stand for the material facets of life, such as employment, commerce, real estate, money, and other material goods.
- All things involving swords involve movement, alteration, force, power, oppression, ambition, bravery, and battle.
- Wands are symbolic of intuition, spirituality, inspiration, strength, willpower, ambition, and growth.
- Court cards like the Page, Knight, Queen, and King, which represent some facet of yourself, another person in your life, or an event, are included in the Minor Arcana cards, which are numbered one through ten.
Of course, you’re not expected to memorize the meanings of each card unless you’re a bit of a tarot enthusiast. Instead, we advise using online resources like Biddy Tarot so you can read up each card’s meaning as you draw. Each reads something like a horoscope, allowing you to assign your own interpretation.
Why deal up the deck instead of down?
A sleight of hand method known as bottom dealing or base dealing involves dealing the bottom card from a deck of playing cards rather than the top card. It is a sort of card illusion employed by magicians, card sharps, and mechanics, as well as a way to rig games of poker and other card games.
The dealer’s non-dominant hand is generally used to hold the cards in a modified mechanic’s grip. The dominating hand instead gets hold of the bottom card as the dealer pretends to deal the top card by sliding it halfway off the deck. The top card is reset as the card is ripped out of the deck.
The second-to-bottom card may be drawn slightly out of place if the dealer is not particularly competent at bottom dealing, which results in a slightly different sound from conventional dealing. It’s referred to as a “hanger.”
Persi Diaconis, Darwin Ortiz, Steve Forte, Daniel Madison, Jason England, and Richard Turner are all experts at bottom dealing.
How should my tarot deck be cleaned?
While rearranging the cards in the tarot deck is a good approach to purify and clear their energy, there are some circumstances in which you might wish to perform a more specialized ritual. If you’re just getting started with tarot, cleaning your deck can be an excellent place to start.
You might want to clean your tarot deck for a variety of reasons, including:
- beginning with a fresh deck
- readings for other people
- You think you need to recharge.
- Your card readings seem a touch “odd” or “disconnected”
- Your deck hasn’t been used recently.
- Your deck has been handled by others
- You think you’ve been utilizing your deck a lot. A LOT, especially for books with strong emotional content
Why should you cleanse or clear your tarot deck?
Tarot deck cleansing helps keep the energy flowing between you and your deck. Consider it as a little spiritual hygiene to maintain a strong and clear connection. It’s not necessary, but if you have any of the aforementioned symptoms, try a few of the energetic cleansing techniques listed below and note which ones seem to work the best for you.
How often should you cleanse your tarot deck?
This is another way of stating USE YOUR INTUITION: there are no hard and fast laws. Don’t stress if you don’t believe it is necessary for your deck. Alternately, if you like to cleanse them once per week or once per month, that’s great. If it feels appropriate to you, you can even place your favorite crystal on the balcony each night.
If you frequently place crystals on your deck and store it on an altar while not in use, you might not feel the need to cleanse it frequently because this quick ritual will likely be sufficient to keep your deck feeling nice.
There are numerous ways to cleanse your cards, just as there are numerous reasons why you might desire to do so.
Different ways to cleanse your tarot deck
Use holy smoke. Light a dried rosemary, lavender, cedar, sage, or palo santo cleansing wand until it begins to smoke. Hold the smoke a safe distance below the deck while holding the burning herbs in one hand and the deck in the other so that the smoke drifts upward onto the cards. Turn the deck so that the smoke covers it from all angles. Next, safely put your deck to the ground and put out the fire.
On the deck, set a selenite stone (or a black tourmaline or a transparent quartz). It works well to leave it like way for an hour, but I prefer to leave it overnight.
Set them on display during a new moon. The New Moon is energy of a blank slate; you can purify the deck by setting it on a window sill on a new moon night. At this moment, you can also make a brand-new intention for your deck.
Place the cards in a salty dish. A strong and stabilizing cleaner is salt. My preferred choice for a thorough cleansing is this. Allow it to sit anywhere from one to eight hours in a dry area.
Unorderly shuffle. Spread the cards out on the ground, then shuffle them around like a child playing in dirt. This method’s freedom and randomization serve as an excellent reset.
the shuffle and sort. Set up the deck in rows of seven cards across, commencing with the Major Arcana numbers 0 to 22. (see photo above). Next, arrange the cards, Ace through King, one for each suit, as follows: Swords, Pentacles, Cups, and Wands. View the deck in this configuration, then mix everything up (like the chaotic!) and shuffle it thoroughly.
Lay some simple ground rules with yourself
Before you even pull your card, Marmanides advises you to consider what your gut feeling is telling you about the solution.
We are expected to consult the tarot guides for knowledge or direction, but we should also trust our instincts. Therefore, whether you’re performing a tarot card spread or just picking cards, you should follow the High Priestess’ advice and go inward. Concentrate on the directions you want to be led in and the feelings you already have about a specific circumstance, then channel that energy into your reading.
How are tarot cards shuffled?
This shuffling method, which is frequently used before regular card games, is merely holding the full deck in one hand and releasing a section of cards into the other hand at a time until the entire deck has been spread and mixed.
What tarot card has the most influence?
The Fool is typically seen as a card from the Major Arcana when performing a tarot reading. Contrary to popular belief, the Fool does not fall under either category in tarot card games. Instead, the Fool serves a function that is distinct from both the simple suit cards and the trump cards. As a result, the Fool has no number assigned to it in the majority of tarot decks that were initially created for playing games. Although Waite assigns the Fool the number 0, in his book, the Fool is discussed between Judgment (number 20) and The World (number 21). The Tarocco Piemontese is the only traditional game deck that numbers the Fool 0. Since the 1930s, the corner index for the Fool in Tarot Nouveau decks has frequently been a black inverted mullet. The Fool is one of the most expensive cards in practically all tarot games.
Can you interpret tarot cards for yourself?
It’s normal to be a little clumsy when you first start practicing the tarot. Tarot study is similar to learning a new languageit takes time to become proficient. But what happens if you no longer require the booklet and have intimate familiarity with the deck? Are you able to read yourself? No, except for a few rare instances. Simply put, it’s a horrible idea.
You see, the majority of us turn to astrology or tarot when we’re looking for clarity amid a period of ambiguity. In contrast to astrology, which is quite technical, our consciousness restricts our capacity to read tarot cards. Working with your personal interpretation of the cards, you are not constrained by short- and long-term cycles like the planets’ orbits. It might be tricky to go beyond your current circumstances while utilizing the tarot to better understand a trying scenario. Even if all the cards are spread out in front of you, putting them together requires such a broad perspective that it is all but impossible to fully understand the meaning of each card. Basically, any biases you already have will always be reflected in your tarot reading!