How Does This Course Work?
This course is to show you how to use the cards for yourself. The tarot can help you better understand yourself and teach you how to confidently tap your inner resources. You do not have to have “psychic powers” to use the tarot successfully. All you need is the willingness to honor and develop your natural intuition.
The Fool’s Journey course is a self-paced series of lessons that begin with the basics and then move gradually into more detailed aspects of the tarot. These lessons are geared toward beginners, but experienced tarot users will find some useful ideas and techniques as well. For each lesson, some exercises and quizzes to reinforce the ideas presented. The Cards section contains information about each of the tarot cards. You can refer to this section as you go through the lessons and later as you continue your practice. These are the main features of the course, but there are many other pages to explore here as well.
What Is Needed For the Course?
The only real requirement for this course is a tarot deck. This course uses the Rider-Waite deck, which can be bought online or at bookstores. This is a good deck to start with because there are pictures on every card, which helps when you are learning. The Rider-Waite and its many variations are by far the most popular tarot decks.
If you already have a different 78-card deck, you may use it with the course. The principles of tarot work are the same no matter what deck you use.
A Metaphor
 The Fool’s Journey is a metaphor for the journey through life. Each major arcana card stands for a stage on that journey – an experience a person must incorporate to realize their wholeness. These 22 descriptions are based on the keywords for each major arcana card. The keywords are highlighted in the text. A card’s number is in parentheses.
Curriculum
- 10 Sections
- 54 Lessons
- Lifetime
- Introduction to LessonsSome questions commonly asked are; "How can a deck of cards possibly tell you anything about anything?" This basically sums up the common sense view of the cards. The cards can make a real difference in the way you perceive and deal with the challenges in your life. The origin of the tarot is a mystery, we do know for sure that the cards were used in Italy in the fifteenth century as a popular card game. Wealthy patrons commissioned beautiful decks, some of which have survived. The Visconti-Sforza, created in 1450 or shortly thereafter, is one of the earliest and most complete.2
- Elements of the Tarot6
- Doing Reading6
- Pricipals of InterpratationYou're seated in front of your first tarot reading. You've shuffled, cut and laid out your cards. Your first thought is probably, "Now what do I do?" Reading the tarot is an art, not a science. There can be no set rules that apply all the time because every person is unique. How could a system of formulas ever provide guidance that honors that uniqueness?On the other hand, there are some ways to approach the cards that have proven valuable time and again. They work because they bring form and focus to intuitive responses. They provide a framework around which you can build the special message of each reading.8
- Closing1
- ExercisesThese exercises give you a chance to practice the concepts presented in the lessons. Do the ones that appeal to you, and take them at your own pace. You don't have to do any exercises before continuing with the lessons. They are completely optional. The later exercises do build on earlier lessons, so it's best not to skip ahead. For some exercises, there are examples of possible responses. The phrase check suggestions lets you know when this is the case.12
- Card Information Pages5
- Spread Information Pages5
- Sample Reading4
- Charts5
