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The rest of the deck is made up of the minor arcana.
Made up by four suits: the swords, wands (staves or batons), cups, and pentacles (coins). This part of the deck is made up basically like a regular card deck. Each suit has four court cards: page, knight, queen, and king. The numbered cards are ACE (1) through (10). The minor arcana focuses on ourselves as we exist from day to day. They deal with our personal lives, our ambitions, hopes, fears, and relations to each other. The major arcana has implications of the individual and the minor focuses more on the world at large. The major and minor arcana both work together to form a whole, or a continuum. Below is a list of the traditional cards---both the major and minor arcana.
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Cards in the Major Arcana:
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0 The fool, I The magician, II The priestess, III The Empress, IV The Emperor, V
The hierophant, VI The lovers, VII The chariot, VIII Justice, IX The Hermit, X
Wheel of Fortune, XI Strength, XII The Hanged Man, XIII Death, XIV Temperance,
XV The Devil, XVI The Tower, XVII The Star, XVIII The Moon, XIX The Sun, XX
Judgment, XXI The World.
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Cards in the Minor Arcana:
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Suit of wands:
Ace of wands, two of wands, three of wands, four of wands, five of wands, six of
wands, seven of wands, eight of wands, nine of wands, ten of wands, princess,
prince, queen, king.
Suit of cups:
Ace of cups, two of cups, three of cups, four of cups, five of cups, six of
cups, seven of cups, eight of cups, nine of cups, ten of cups, princess, prince,
queen, king.
Suit of Swords:
Ace of swords, two of swords, three of swords, four of swords, five of swords,
six of swords, seven of swords, eight of swords, nine of swords, ten of swords,
princess, prince, queen, king.
Suit of Pentacles (coins):
Ace of pentacles, two of pentacles, three of pentacles, four of pentacles, five
of pentacles, six of pentacles, seven of pentacles, eight of pentacles, nine of
pentacles, ten of pentacles, princess, prince, queen, king.
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What is the spread?
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The way to do a reading is through a spread. There are many spreads from the very simple using only one card, to the very complicated. Personally I have developed a 36 card spread that I use for my clients. It is very comprehensive and the cards are used as a path or story line. Below you will find a fairly easy basic spread.
Of course it is best to read in a time of calm. When you are in crisis it is fairly likely the answers you get will be chaotic.
You may shuffle the cards anyway you want. Some of the decks are large and bulky so pick a style that suits you. I cut away from myself or the client. They are put back in random order by the reader (this too can be a personal preference. On any spread tart by taking the first card off the deck and place it face up in order that you see the spreads laid out.
In other words, do not take the first card and place it in the fourth card spot. To
read the cards, you can read one at a time as the cards are turned over, or wait
until all cards have been laid out and read the cards like a story. I prefer to read like a story but it is a matter of choice.
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The Time spread:
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This spread is good for beginners because it only involves four cards. You can place the cards in any formation you choose. In a horizontal line side by side or in a block 1 and 2 on the top, 3 and 4 below.
1 2 3 4
or
1 2
3 4
Before you start this spread, have a clear question in mind.
It does not have to be a yes or no question, but it should be specific.
Card 1: The Past
This card will tell what has happened to lead up to the question being asked. It can refer to events in your childhood but will more likely refer to things directly related to the question.
Card 2: The Present
This card tells how your situation stands at the moment. It might refer to some feelings or something you have that you did not want to admit or show something that might have caused your particular question.
Card 3: The Future
This card will show how it expects things to work out in the near future.
Card 4: Action
This card will show what you may do to either encourage the outcome or change it.
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