78 Magickal Tools: Bringing the Magick of Tarot to your Pagan Path

Tarot is more than a tool of divination; tarot is a book of spiritual wisdom and a set of magickal tools. Explore new ways to use tarot in ritual, magick, meditation, self-discovery and attunement.

  • Home
    Home This is where you can find all the blog posts throughout the site.
  • Tags
    Tags Displays a list of tags that have been used in the blog.
  • Bloggers
    Bloggers Search for your favorite blogger from this site.
  • Login
    Login Login form

Are Some Tarot Decks More Magickal Than Others?

Someone recently asked me if some decks carried more magickal power than others. I thought that would be a good topic to address here on 78 Magickal Tools.

The magickal power in a tarot deck comes from a number of sources. The first and most important source is the power of archetypes. This power is inherent in virtually any tarot deck.

What are tarot archetypes? Each tarot card holds a specific energy. One of the ways we can describe that energy is as a theme or character with which we are all familiar. For instance, we can see the Fool as the seeker on an epic adventure - he is Frodo, Percival and Don Quixote.  We can see the Hermit as the wise old man.  He is Dumbledore, Obi Wan and Gandalf. We can see the Lovers as the syzygy, or divine couple - Romeo and Juliet, Anthony and Cleopatra, Liz and Dick.

The Minor Arcana is archetypal as well. The four Aces are the four tools of magick - the four icons of the Four Elements. The Ace of Cups is the Holy Grail. The Ace of Swords is Excalibur.

These archetypal energies will be present in any deck that follows tarot tradition despite how the deck is illustrated or what its theme may be.

Tarot archetypes are energies we can invoke, manifest or banish when we do tarot magick.

Some decks are designed and themed in such a way that they may bring an additional potency or invoke a particular energy to your magick.

For example, the Celtic Dragon Tarot by D.J. Conway and Lisa Hunt is designed to work with dragon energy. D.J. Conway sees dragons as spiritual entities that can assist us in our magick. Arguably, then, Celtic Dragon Tarot (Magician card pictured above) would bring the dragon energy to your magickal work.

A Goddess Tarot like Kris Waldherr's beloved deck could be used to bring the energy of particular Goddesses to your magick. Waldherr's Lover's Path Tarot might be particularly effective in the execution of love magick.

Could a specifically Wiccan deck be extra useful in Wiccan magick, or a Druid deck in Druid magick? While such a deck is not necessary for successful magick, if you have access to a deck designed for your particular tradition it would only make your magick more potent.

Another aspect of what makes a powerful magickal tarot is personal.  The history of the deck and your personal resonance with it can add energy too. The deck that was a gift from a special friend, the deck that was handed down from your grandmother or even your very first tarot deck would all hold special power above and beyond other decks. That power would certainly transfer to your magick.

Tarot magick is always powerful and effective. If you have only one tarot deck at your disposal you should use it as if it is the most powerful deck in the world. If you are lucky enough to have a tarot collection it makes sense to choose the deck that will be most powerful for the type of magick you are creating.

-Christiana

 

 

Last modified on
Christiana Gaudet, an eclectic Pagan, has worked as a full-time tarot reader and teacher since the early 1990s.  From her home in South Florida she offers readings and private instruction by Skype and telephone, as well as tarot and spiritual webinars.  Christiana's first book, "Fortune Stellar: What Every Professional Tarot Reader Needs to Know" is designed to help each tarot professional build a unique and successful tarot business.  Her new book, "Tarot Tour Guide: Tarot, the Four Elements and Your Spiritual Journey" explores ways of using and understanding tarot by understanding the Four Elements. Christiana is a popular speaker at festivals and conferences, and has done a great deal of psychic work on broadcast radio and television.

Comments

  • Deborah Blake
    Deborah Blake Wednesday, 06 March 2013

    This looks great, Christopher! You always delve deeper than most.

  • Christiana Gaudet
    Christiana Gaudet Wednesday, 06 March 2013

    Thanks, Deborah! There are so many layers of tarot symbolism!

  • Please login first in order for you to submit comments

Additional information