Using
tarot cards as a focus for magical efforts is not much different then
using any other visual focus. There are a few details that must be
considered when using tarot cards that would similarly be a matter of
some care when using different divination tools for magical foci.
(Runes will be getting their own set of notes and such.) Firstly, the
question of how the cards are handled must be dealt with. (Yes, I
know, it was a pun and no, I am not repentant.)
If
one wishes to keep the cards in usable condition, this limits how the
cards can be manipulated. They must be carefully kept clean, dry, and
unbent. Obviously, they must remain whole. Depending on how one is
performing their ritual, the cards may be put into a protective
enclosure (ie. Plastic sandwich bag, small laminated pouch, etc.) so
that they might be exposed to spell components. It may also be an
option to place the card where they stand/lie in a central location
of the ritual space where the energy of the spell work is focused and
the ritual gestures and actions are performed about the card. In
either case, the cards must be physically unchanged from the
beginning to the end of the ritual. Once the ritual ends, the cards
must then be 'grounded' (cleansed of the residual energy of the
ritual and restored to a magically neutral state).
In
rituals where the destruction of the card is part of the process, the
limitations on how the cards are manipulated are only imposed by that
of the spell work itself. Sometimes, however, one may wish to do a
ritual that would require the destruction of the card but they do not
have cards to destroy. In these cases, it is good to use a bit of
tracing paper and copy the key visual elements of the card and what
ever notation is necessary (ie. Justice's scales and sword and the
word justice along with it's numeral). This copy can be as detailed
as is necessary. Once it is made to a satisfactory degree, it can be
used exactly as the original card would have been.
Because
the cards themselves are loaded with meanings and the associated
spiritual energy that comes from these thought-forms, it is easiest to
use the card that best matches the desired outcome of the spell or
the specific target of it. In these instances, the court cards of the
Minor Arcana are used as representatives of people more frequently
then as representatives of concepts. While it is possible to use the
court cards to represent concepts, it will require a bit more focus
because the thought-forms build up around them are swayed more
strongly towards people. Sometimes, the thought-forms are easily
disregarded, such as in the case of the pip cards.
In
either case, approaching the use of a tarot card (or multiple cards)
as a magical focus can work as a type of 'shorthand' for the goal of
the spell work. There are several different spells available on the
internet that incorporate tarot cards and at least one of this
variety in the writings of Raymond Buckland (I think it is in his
Complete Book of Witchcraft). The use of tarot cards as a tool in
spell work is not as extensive as something such as candles, but it
is a practice that seems to have been on the rise since the 1980s. I
think this is due to a combination of factors.
The
rise of accepted witchcraft media and the boom of practitioners mixed
with the cost of tarot decks dropping as the number of varieties
increased is easily the largest reason this has come into play. I
would also argue that this has grown to a more common form of spell
casting is because the thought-forms used are in many respects
'pre-programmed' and easier to attach to one's spell work rather then
the effort of creating one from scratch. I personally don't use tarot
cards for magical focuses but I have known people who have done so
with great success. Thus, I believe it is a legitimate practice that
can prove highly effective when done properly.
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