Welcome to ArcanA!!

This is a tarot discussion forum. My intention is to post my own thoughts, intuitions and insights based on my own background studying tarot. It's as much a learning tool for me as I hope it will be thought provoking for you. 

A new friend of mine has recently begun to study tarot, which I, of course, think is awesome, and in my opinion, he is going about it correctly; pulling a card each day, writing out its correspondences and general meaning, meditating on it for a day or so as he goes about his active life, and moving on to the next. His adventure has inspired me to this one.

My interest in tarot goes back many years but up until recent years it was little more than being enthralled with the art and symbolism in the decks. I knew little to nothing about any of it until I began to dabble and then study, taking classes and practicing with friends over the past five years or so.  During that time, in many ways, my intuitive gifts have grown from the finally fertile soil of my realization that they had been hidden and denied for so many years. I was just always the odd one; the one who didn't fit in, and I now know that I was not the only one who felt that way. As I become more one with my spirit, I find that I am drawn to others like me and they're drawn to me as well. It's wonderful to finally find my tribe!

So as my faith in the universe and so in myself grows, so does the knowledge that I know very little about anything really, but some things I do know as far as working with energy are, that 1) each reader may interpret the same card uniquely, seeing and intuiting meanings and ideas that others may not; 2) that it is imperative that the reader not project their own issues into a reading; and 3) always read to the positive. There are many cards that represent difficulties and challenges, but none that can tell anyone they are going to fail at a task, meet a tall handsome stranger or that they're going to die unexpectedly. All this to say that tarot is a tool that, like any tool, is only as good as the skill of it's wielder. 

A tarot reading is never incorrect. It is the energy of the questioner, the cards and the reader in the moment that helps them in some way. The cards, through questions and discussion during the reading, may help the querent see a situation in a different light, or bring up an aspect of a situation that they were not aware of or had not considered significant, and/or possibly offer a path to resolution or greater peace of mind.

Learning the cards initially can be overwhelming. There are as many different decks and styles of cards as can be imagined and more are being imagined every day. Each suit and each card has correspondences with the elements, astrology, creatures, symbolism, numerology, journeys..... I doubt if there is anyone who knows even close to all there is to know about these cards and that is what makes them mysterious and magical and what makes the discussion and study of tarot so rich!

There are 22 cards in the major arcana. Some readers only use those cards, but I find that a good understanding and use of the other 56 brings a more down-to-earth, esoteric feel to a reading, and when the major arcana cards appear among them, they grow in significance within the layout.

So, all of that said, I was a surprised to find I have concerns around the deck my friend is using. At first glance it is a pretty standard deck with the usual cards, but the minor arcana cards are labeled. The first one I saw that I was disturbed by showed the word 'Failure' printed on the bottom of the nine of swords. 

Now the nine of swords is not a favorite card of mine by any stretch, or the ten for that matter. The entire suit is difficult for many reasons. Specifically the nine and ten represent difficulties and significant challenges, but no card in any suit equals one word or should be labeled as meaning this or that. In my experience the energy or meaning of each card can change based on the query, the layout, other cards in the layout, the reader and other intangibles. I also just really, really dislike labels of any kind, especially when dealing with energy or people, both of which tarot would be meaningless without. 

Next up - The suit of swords. Yikes!!