Destined (49 page)

All
of this implies the very interesting idea that the future is predictable, and
that it can be changed. Therefore, “forewarned is forearmed” is the mantra of
Tarot readers, who generally stress that while the final outcome card is an
accurate prediction based on current conditions, there are definitely steps we
can take to steer our lives in another direction, if we wish.

Sometimes
conditions change along the way because of choices we didn’t even realize we
were making. The Tarot offers us a glimpse ahead down the road, identifies
people and events in the past and present that will ultimately have major
impact on us, and warns us about important characters who will influence our
lives in the future. This information helps us to better understand the past,
more fully appreciate the present, and prepare for what lies ahead.

Readers
who are curious to learn more about the Tarot are encouraged to make use of the
Bibliography included at the end of this book. There are hundreds of different
Tarot decks currently in print, with a broad range of visual styles and
imagery. You should look carefully at all the cards, touch them, and choose the
deck that “speaks” to you. I personally recommend the two beautiful Tarot decks
by David Palladini, or the classic Rider-Waite Tarot, which was created in 1909
by A. E Waite, a member of the famous Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn,
illustrated by Pamela Coleman Smith.

The
black and white illustrations at the beginning of each chapter are from
The
Payen Tarot of Marseille
1713
, one of the
oldest surviving decks. (The word “Marseille” refers to a style of card, rather
than the place they were created.) This Tarot was drawn by Jean Pierre Payen of
Avignon, and the original cards are housed in the collection at the Bibliotheque
Nationale de France, in Paris. Photographs of them can be found in Yale
University’s Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library, in New Haven, CT.

The descriptions included in the chapter headings
sometimes contain references to symbols absent from the Payen Tarot, but which
are commonly found in the many other decks that have been published since the
1700’s as artists and seers through the ages have enriched the visual tradition
.

Mastering the Tarot
by Eden Gray, a Signet Book from New American Library, 1301 Avenue of
the Americas, New York, NY 10019, 1971, p. 96-143.

The New Palladini Tarot
by David Palladini, U.S. Games Systems, Inc., Stamford, CT 06902 USA,
2005.

The Witch’s Guide to Life
by Kala Trobe, Llewellyn Publications, St. Paul,
Minnesota 55164-0383, U.S.A., 2003, p. 191-243.

www.tarothermit.com, compiled and edited by Tom
Tadfor Little, 2007-2012.

Aeclectic Tarot, “Thirteen’s Tarot Card Meanings,
http://www. aeclectic.net, 2007-2012.

Uri Raz’s Tarot Site, http://www.tarot.org.il,
2007-2012.