Reading Tarot

I have decided to buy a bunch of different tarot decks and offer review of them for readers of this blog. The Black Tarot is a deck that caught my eye because of its incredibly creative imagery and dark visual style. I found the cards online, since they are fairly rare and can be hard to locate in local shops. Fantasy imagery abounds, with depictions of hunky men with swords and semi-naked women posing next to impressive ruins. The artist has clearly gone for a dark gothic theme with these cards, and he warns readers in the included instruction booklet that one should not use these cards “if you only want to know about good things.” But if you want to know about naked women, this is definitely the deck for you!

The black Tarot springs from the imagination of fantasy artist Luis Royo, an illustrator from Spain whose work has appeared in comic books like Heavy Metal magazine. Admittedly, this is not the kind of art style that I usually go for, but his exaggerated designs work surprisingly well in the context of a tarot deck. The meanings that he assigns to each card are a little bit off-base, and I think that the artist had only a passing interest in serious tarot reading and history when he made these drawings.

The Black Tarot deck comes in a box with 78 fully illustrated cards featuring German, French, English and Spanish names. The size of each card is 2 3/8 X 4 ¼ inches. The edges of each card are rounded and the deck has a very nice feel to it when handled.

This deck can certainly be used for readings, but may not be ideal for beginners, since some of the definitions and images differ widely from established tarot meanings. Also, the numbered minor arcana cards provide symbols only and are not fully illustrated like the major arcana cards. If you grew up with or appreciate comic books, fantasy novels, or Dungeons and Dragons, the Black Tarot is definitely a deck that you need in your collection.

Buy This Deck Online Now

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One of the most common reasons people choose to consult the tarot is for guidance in their romantic relationships. Everyone wants to know whether destiny has a passionate romance in store for them, or whether that person they have a crush on thinks about them too. You would be surprised how many tarot readings I have been asked to perform that center around the question of love and relationships. But how accurate are the cards in predicting our romantic futures? In my experience, the usefulness of tarot cards is not in predicting exactly when a ‘tall mysterious stranger’ will appear to sweep us off our feet. Rather, we can use the cards to think deeply about what it is that we want and need in a potential relationship. Armed with this knowledge, any future romance has a better chance of being successful.

Read more about three cards that are essential to understanding our romantic predicaments and guiding ourselves toward happiness and fulfillment in love.

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The Hermit card has a number of meanings in a tarot spread, depending on the position in which it appears and the context of the reading. A solitary figure stands at the top of a steep mountain peak, holding a staff in one hand and a lantern in another. Inside the lantern, a star illuminates the gloomy evening sky. The hermit is resolved and intently focused, as if consumed by his own thoughts. While this is a lonely setting, loneliness is not the only meaning associated with the Hermit tarot card. In old Italian tarot decks, the Hermit card was actually named “Time” after the Greek word Cronos, suggesting the long slow march of solitude leading to enlightenment.

In a spread, when the hermit card turns up in a position that describes the querent, it usually indicates that he or she has lived through a period of solitude. It could mean that the querent is an introspective person, slow to share her feelings with others, or someone who prefers to spend time by themselves rather than in the company of others. Spending time alone is not necessarily a bad thing. Many of the great works of art and scientific discoveries have been made by people who shunned a social existence for the comfort of intellectual pursuits. Standing on the top of the mountain, the hermit has a commanding view of what surrounds him. His light can be seen as a beacon, meant to guide and inspire others.

Depending on the context of the reading, however, the hermit can also signify negative aspects like loneliness, stoicism, and self-denial. In the blocking position, for example, we might ask the querent, “why are you pushing others away, why are you afraid of social encounters?” The hermit can also be telling us something – perhaps we need to take a break from all of the socializing and spend some time thinking about what we really want. What is it that I am searching for in life? What are the things that are really important to me?

In the reverse position

In the reversed (upside-down) position, the Hermit loses his lantern, and therefore also loses sight of what is before him. It can signify a lack of wisdom, logic, or intelligence. Maybe the querent is simply wrong about something that they deeply believe in? Maybe we actually need the guidance, wisdom and advice of others more than we thought?