Tarot on emsenn.net

Cards and Structure

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Tarot decks have two parts: major arcana and minor arcana.

Major arcana represent broad themes. Minor arcana are organized by four suits and ranks.

Celtic cross spread

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¶Positions

Present situation
Challenge or crossing influence
Foundation
Recent past
Goal or aspiration
Near future
Self
Environment
Hopes or fears
Outcome

¶When to use

Use for deeper readings where multiple influences and contexts are needed.

¶How to read

Interpret the central cross first, then the staff positions as contextual layers.

Major arcana

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Each major arcana card lists a short interpretation. Upright and reversed are sketches to be adapted to context.

¶The Fool

Upright: beginnings, openness, risk. Reversed: hesitation, naivete, avoidance.

¶The Magician

Upright: will, skill, initiative. Reversed: manipulation, scattered focus.

¶The High Priestess

Upright: intuition, hidden knowledge. Reversed: blocked intuition, secrecy.

¶The Empress

Upright: nurture, growth, abundance. Reversed: stagnation, overindulgence.

Minor arcana

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Minor arcana interpretations combine suit themes with rank themes.

¶Suit themes

Wands: drive, growth, creative force.
Cups: emotion, relationships, receptivity.
Swords: thought, conflict, clarity.
Pentacles: material life, craft, stability.

¶Rank themes

Ace: beginnings, seed.
Two: balance, choice.
Three: expansion, collaboration.
Four: stability, rest.
Five: tension, challenge.
Six: adjustment, movement.
Seven: strategy, assessment.
Eight: momentum, focus.
Nine: fruition, endurance.
Ten: completion, burden.
Page: learning, curiosity.
Knight: action, pursuit.
Queen: mastery, nurture.
King: leadership, command.

¶Wands

Ace of Wands: beginnings of drive and creativity.
Two of Wands: choosing a direction for growth.
Three of Wands: expansion through collaboration.
Four of Wands: stable momentum and celebration.
Five of Wands: tension in creative forces.
Six of Wands: recognition and forward movement.
Seven of Wands: defensive strategy and assessment.
Eight of Wands: rapid motion and focus.
Nine of Wands: endurance under pressure.
Ten of Wands: completion with heavy burden.
Page of Wands: learning a new spark.
Knight of Wands: acting on creative pursuit.
Queen of Wands: nurtured confidence and mastery.
King of Wands: leading with vision and drive.

¶Cups

Ace of Cups: beginnings of emotion and connection.
Two of Cups: balance and mutual exchange.
Three of Cups: shared joy and collaboration.
Four of Cups: stability, rest, or disengagement.
Five of Cups: emotional tension and loss.
Six of Cups: movement through memory and care.
Seven of Cups: assessment of emotional options.
Eight of Cups: focused departure or pursuit.
Nine of Cups: fruition and emotional endurance.
Ten of Cups: completion of relational harmony.
Page of Cups: learning emotional expression.
Knight of Cups: acting on feeling or invitation.
Queen of Cups: nurtured empathy and depth.
King of Cups: leadership through steady feeling.

¶Swords

Ace of Swords: beginnings of clarity and resolve.
Two of Swords: balance or stalemate in thought.
Three of Swords: expansion into conflict or pain.
Four of Swords: stable rest and recovery.
Five of Swords: tension through conflict.
Six of Swords: movement toward calmer clarity.
Seven of Swords: strategy and careful assessment.
Eight of Swords: focused pressure or restriction.
Nine of Swords: endurance through worry.
Ten of Swords: completion through rupture.
Page of Swords: learning critical thinking.
Knight of Swords: acting with sharp pursuit.
Queen of Swords: mastery of clarity and honesty.
King of Swords: leadership through reason.

¶Pentacles

Ace of Pentacles: beginnings in material life.
Two of Pentacles: balancing resources.
Three of Pentacles: collaborative craft and growth.
Four of Pentacles: stability and holding.
Five of Pentacles: material tension or scarcity.
Six of Pentacles: adjustment through exchange.
Seven of Pentacles: assessment of growth.
Eight of Pentacles: focused practice and work.
Nine of Pentacles: fruition and independence.
Ten of Pentacles: completion and legacy.
Page of Pentacles: learning practical skills.
Knight of Pentacles: steady pursuit and effort.
Queen of Pentacles: nurtured stability and care.
King of Pentacles: leadership through material command.

Spreads and Reading

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Spreads assign roles to positions so each drawn card has a context.

Reading combines the card’s meaning, orientation, and position role.

Tarot card games

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Tarot decks were historically used for card games before being widely used for divinatory readings.

These games are typically trick-taking and use the major arcana as trumps. Different regional variants exist, often grouped under “tarot” or “tarock” game traditions.

Tarot ideas

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Add per-card documents with upright/reversed interpretations and sources.
Add structured spreads beyond three-card and Celtic cross.

Tarot plans

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Build full per-card documentation for all 78 cards with citations.
Add spread YAML schema validation and rendering templates.

Tarot specifications

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This specification defines how tarot data is encoded for spreads and readings.

¶Spread YAML

Required keys:

spread: name of the spread.
positions: ordered list of position definitions.
draw: list of cards drawn with positions.

Each position includes:

name: position label.
role: meaning or function in the spread.

Each draw entry includes:

position: position name.
card: card name.
orientation: upright or reversed.

Example:

spread: three-card
positions:
  - name: past
    role: the background or origin
  - name: present
    role: the current situation
  - name: future
    role: a likely direction
draw:
  - position: past
    card: The Fool
    orientation: upright
  - position: present
    card: Two of Cups
    orientation: upright
  - position: future
    card: The Tower
    orientation: reversed

Three-Card spread

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¶Positions

Past: background or origin of the situation.
Present: current situation.
Future: likely direction or consequence.

¶When to use

Use for quick readings, simple questions, or daily checks.

¶How to read

Read each card relative to its position, then look for a story across the three.