Chat It’s Fate – September 2019

Words: Deborah Durbin Images: Alamy

it’s fateit’s fate

class

Psychic

In the fi rst in our three-part tarot-

reading series, discover the meaning

behind the mystical cards

SECRETS OF

the divine

T

arot cards have been around

since at least the 14th century,

but their origins remain unknown.

We do know that the French and

Italians used them for playing card

games and Romany gypsies have

used them for telling people’s

fortunes for years.

The most popular deck of tarot

card is the Rider Waite deck, the

iconic characters of which are

familiar all of the world to anyone

fascinated with divination. These

were written by the mystic A E Waite

and published in 1910 by William

Rider & Son, hence their name.

Today there are many variations

of the tarot deck, but most still

contain 78 cards which broadly

match the descriptions of the

original Rider Waite deck.

Over three issues of Chat it’s fate,

we’ll be looking at what these iconic

cards mean, and how to read them

for yourself. You’ll be a divination

queen (or king) in no time!

The Major Arcana

T

here are 22 Major Arcana

cards in a tarot deck. These

are the picture cards with the

name and number of the card

printed on them. The Major

Arcana starts at zero (the Fool)

and goes up to number 21. They

have the following meanings:

0 The Fool: New beginnings,

spontaneity, innocence. Believe in the

Universe.

1 The Magician: Determination. You

have the inner resources to achieve

your goal.

2 The High Priestess: Psychic insight,

intuition. Trust your instinct on aff airs

close to home.

3 The Empress: Pregnancy, nurturing,

abundance. The creation of something

new – from a baby to a new business.

4 The Emperor: Stability and security.

You’re on top of things and in control.

5 The Hierophant: Tradition,

convention, marriage. Look for

guidance if needed.

6 The Lovers: Relationships and love.

You may be asked to make a sacrifi ce.

7 The Chariot: Overcoming obstacles.

Keep going – you’ll get there.

8 Strength: A triumphant conclusion to

a problem. A great card if you’ve been

As you can see from this list, you can usually

work out the meaning of the card just by looking

at the picture. For example, the Tower

card depicts a falling tower, so it’s

pretty obvious it’s a warning about a

situation collapsing. The exceptions

are the Death and the Hanged

Man cards, as there’s a tendency

to assume that these are signs of

impending doom – they’re not. The

Death card tells us that something

is coming to an end, and the

Hanged Man card indicates

the need for patience.

The Major cards in a

tarot deck are often

referred to as destiny

or fate cards. However,

we all have free will

and nothing is set

in stone. The cards

are about offering

guidance rather than

fortune-telling – if

you need to make

a big decision on

moving house,

or marriage,

the cards may

contain the

insight you

need.

ill or otherwise struggling.

9 The Hermit: Soul searching and

solitude. Take time out to refl ect on

matters.

10 The Wheel of Fortune: Opportunity,

destiny. This card represents a change

in fortune.

11 Justice: Fairness and balance.

Weigh up both sides before making

any decisions.

12 The Hanged Man: Surrender or

sacrifi ce. It’s time to break with the

past and move on.

13 Death: An end, possibly of a

relationship or interest. Change is

afoot.

14 The Devil: Temptation and

materialism. Are you being led in the

wrong direction?

15 Temperance: Balance and

moderation. Avoid extremes and

remain calm.

16 The Tower: Unexpected change.

Something is being torn down – but

remember change can be good!

17 The Star: Hope and inspiration. The

Universe is blessing you.

18 The Moon: Illusion and confusion.

Things may not be as they seem.

19 The Sun: Good fortune. Your plans

are coming together!

20 Judgement: Transition and

renewal. It’s an exciting time for

dynamic new change.

21 The World: Successful conclusions.

It’s the end of a cycle.

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