The Inkwood Tarot Guide

A quick and not-so-dirty guide to help you develop your tarot practice

All rights reserved, 2021. Materials produced by Cynthia Menard of Inkwood Tarot & Healing. Do not reproduce
or distribute without permission.
 The Inwood Tarot Guide
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Contents
Introduction 2.
Brief History of Tarot 3.
Part 1. Technical Tarot Skills 5.
Part 2. Intuitive Tarot Skills 9.
Your Tarot Practice 10.
Recommended Resources 11.
3 Pillar Tarot Spread 12.
Tarot Journal Template 13.

Introduction to the Guide

Greetings tarot friends, and welcome to the Inwood Tarot Guide! I developed this guide to be a
companion to your deck’s little white book (LWB) of instructions, to help you confidently and quickly
begin or move further along in your tarot journey.

This is not a card-by-card instruction system, but a broader view of the tarot’s Arcanas, and an
exploration of intuitive reading. There are plenty of card write-ups in books and on websites for
reference. I’m hoping to give you a tool to broaden your perspective on tarot.

You can skip the history section directly following (or come back to it later) if you wish and go straight
to the Technical Tarot Skills section on pg 5. The history is for anyone who enjoys understanding where
their deck and practice fit into the centuries-long history of the tarot.

A more extensive version of this book including tarot exercises, meditations, and reflections will be
available for sale on my site later in 2021. Happy journeying!

Bright Blessings,

Cynthia Menard
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The Tarot in Perspective: A Very Brief History

The tarot has existed, more or less as it is today, since at least 1460 - we have proof of this in historical
decks from Italy, and later in France. This is pretty impressive - more than half a millennium: there
aren’t many things in human history that have remained relevant for that long a period. These early
European decks were used for playing the game tarocchi, as opposed to divination.

The decks developed in Europe in the Middle Ages through the 1800’s - specifically the Italian
Visconti-Sforza decks (lower left picture) and the French Marseille decks (lower right picture), solidified
into what we now recognize as the Marseille tradition, which is still heavily in use in many modern
European decks.

Occultists in the late 18 - mid-1900’s purported a much longer - and more occult - history of tarot.
Some claimed (and still do) that it stretches as far back as ancient Egypt, others from Africa or the
Americas. But there is no proof to substantiate these claims, as there is with the European decks.

An Occultist would argue that there’s no “proof ” because the occult origins of the tarot are just that -
hidden (presumably by various societies and orders over the centuries). I can only say that the occult
argument is certainly possible, but largely irrelevant outside of such organizations for our immediate
needs.

What came out of the occult revival period in the 18 & 1900’s were two systems that differ from each
other as well as the Marseille tradition. The Golden Dawn/Thoth traditions (which for our purposes
we’ll put together but are considered separate systems by some), and the Rider-Wait-Smith (RWS)
tradition.

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The largest difference between RWS and other systems is that the pip or number cards depict a scene
with people, objects, and landscapes instead of repeating the suit symbol (think modern playing cards).
The creators of RWS - Arthur Edward Waite and Pamela Coleman Smith - were members of the Order
of the Golden Dawn, and used some of the Golden Dawn’s teachings to influence how the minor cards
were depicted.

Many/most US decks are based on the RWS system. There are RWS decks with more traditional ‘pip’
cards, but it’s more common in RWS decks for the Minors to be fully illustrated. Please note that for
many of the exercises I do with my tarot classes and clients, it is helpful to work with a deck based (more
or less) on the RWS system with fully illustrated pips. The rest of this publication will be focused on the
tarot system developed by Waite and Smith.

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Part 1. Technical Tarot Skills - Understanding the Structure and System of the Tarot
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The Major Arcana - Archetypal Images of Human Spiritual Development

The Major Arcana can seem intimidating. All those important cards, but how to
really understand them as they relate to ourselves? I recommend using Rachel
Pollack’s method of dividing up the Major Arcana into 3 rows of 7 cards, minus
the fool (who, like the number zero and our traveler belongs in all the cards) in
considering the trumps. It provides an additional lens to look at each of the
Majors and their keywords through.

The number seven is a historically potent number (seven weekdays, early

planets/astronomy, chakras), making this a powerful way to work with the Major
Arcana. And when lined up this way, there are linear correspondences in the
columns of cards - try this for yourself and carefully consider each of the 7
columns.

But most importantly, when divided this way, the three lines indicate three separate realms of
experience in our personal and spiritual development.

Three Levels of Human Development Represented In the Major Arcana:

1. Outward development from birth to adulthood (the Magician - the Chariot)

2. Inner development and a growing awareness of Spirit (Strength - Temperance)
3. Integrating the spiritual and physical and moving toward enlightenment (the Devil - the World)

Inkwood Keywords for the Major Arcana:

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The Minor Arcana - Images of Everyday Life

Keywords for the Numbered (Pip) Cards:

Aces/Ones - Basic quality of element, root, unity, beginning

Twos - Duality, union, choice, relationship
Threes - Synthesis, expansion, trinity, realized potential
Fours - Structure, stability, order, possession
Fives - Loss, conflict, challenge, meditation, change
Sixes - Communication, harmony, equilibrium, justice
Sevens - Victory, tests, fate, mysticism
Eights - Movement, change, ebb and flow, control
Nines - Compromises, struggle, attainment, understanding
Tens - Completion, need to go beyond, perfection, beginnings and endings, apex

Court Card Attributes & Keywords

A note about gender: The tarot developed in a time when gender roles were extremely fixed (which is
why the inclusion of a Popess [High Priestess] is still so fascinating), and the Court card stations had
specific gender designations. Today, to make the tarot more inclusive and LGBTQIA friendly, some
modern decks assign more neutral terms to Court stations. For older decks or those that use traditional
Court stations, think of them as energetic representatives, rather than entire individuals.

We all have female and male energy within us, and we all experience the Court stations at different times
in our lives, often coming back to them in different situations. So, instead of thinking of the King, for
example, as a mature man, think more about the King’s associations, and the type of energy (gender or
otherwise) that they might represent.

Kings - Associated with Fire. Represent social responsibility, power, success, accomplishment, and an
outward expression of the suit’s element.
Queens - Associated with Water. Represent a deep appreciation of the suit, creativity, and awareness.
Knights - Associated with Air. Represent action, movement, and responsibility to others.
Pages - Associated with Earth. Represent exploration, study, young people, and beginnings.

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 Suit and Elemental Associations:

Wands/Staves/Rods - Correspond with the element of Fire. Represent passion, will, movement,
struggle, and adventure.

Cups/Hearts - Correspond with the element of Water. Represent emotions, fluidity, love, joy,
reflection, passiveness, and fantasy.

Swords/Arrows - Correspond with the element of Air. Represent thought, truth, intellect,
conflict, anger, and painful emotions.

Pentacles/Coins/Disks - Correspond with the element of Earth. Represent work, money,

routines, nature, and strong/stable relationships. Additionally, Pentacles are magical symbols
standing for the magic of nature and the wonder of ordinary life, not always perceived, but
often hidden under the surface.

Putting the Minor Arcana together

Now that we have some basic keywords and associations for the components of the Minor Arcana, it’s
time to weave it together.

For numbered cards (Ace - 10) it’s helpful to apply the numerological meanings first, and then use the
suit as a filter. I encourage studying numerology beyond the keywords here - it’s an important
component of tarot - and have a recommended resource at the end of the Guide.

For example - take the Two of Swords, pictured on page 7. Twos represent duality, choice, and balance.
Swords are representative of thought, painful emotions, and logic. Bringing these two ideas together
and studying the image, we could come to understand the Two of Swords as possibly representing a
careful balance, keeping something painful momentarily in check; the body position of the figure and
the blindfold speak to a tense respite, perhaps, and taking a moment away from judgment and
assumption.

We can apply the same process to the court cards - station first, then layer it with the suit’s energy. But
remember that unless you’re reading just a single card, each card in a spread is also influenced by its
location in the spread and the cards around it. So be sure to consider the card’s imagery and its location
in the spread before assigning a technical ‘meaning’.

It’s important to remember that not all decks adhere to this structure as closely as others. This is a
general guide and you’ll find cards in every deck that don’t seem to fit their traditional ‘meanings’.
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Ultimately, go with any gut feelings or ideas that pop into your mind first and foremost while you study
the card, before turning to books or resources for interpretations (you can do that after). That’s
intuitive reading, which is covered in the next section.

Part 2. Intuitive Tarot Skills - Understanding & Deepening Your

Connection with Tarot

Intuitive reading is when we quiet our conscious mind and open ourselves up to listening to the small,
still voice inside us: our Higher Self/Energy/Spirit. You can think of intuition as a conduit, leading from
the physical senses to the Higher Self. Our Higher Self often speaks to us in our physical bodies, which
we’re more likely to pick up on as our brains are often busy and noisy. That’s the “gut feeling” many of
us are familiar with. But to consciously make an effort to quiet the mind and listen, strengthens that
conduit.

Listening to your intuition is a skill that can be developed with practice - so don’t stress if it’s a struggle
for you right now. Know that this can change if you work at it. I had to focus on technical tarot skills for
a long time, and while I did, I slowly learned to listen to my intuition.

I wrote an article on my tarot blog - How Does the Tarot Actually Work? - that dives further into how
tarot works on and with us if you’d like to learn more about what’s behind intuitive reading.

How to Practice Listening to Your Intuition

- Ritual - this is critical. It sets your intention and allows for your shift in consciousness. See the
section ‘Your Tarot Practice’ below for more information.
- Meditation - with or without tarot. Meditating on individual cards is a very effective technique
for developing an intuitive relationship with tarot imagery.
- Spending time studying your deck.
- Finding creative ways to interact with the cards such as writing stories about them, and drawing
or reimagining them in any medium.

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Your Tarot Practice

Ritual - One of the most important aspects of reading.

Developing a ritual around your readings assists with the shift in consciousness from external concerns
to internal concerns, and from the conscious mind to the unconscious. This shift is what enables us to
tap into our intuition. It doesn’t have to take long, provided it’s done with intention.

The basics of a reading ritual:

- Ground and center with a short meditation (tree of life; counting stairs)
- Read in a place where you won’t be disturbed
- Create a soothing environment for your reading that engages multiple senses: music or white
noise, incense, candles, etc.
- Finish reading with an offering of gratitude to your higher self and entities or energies you
worked with.

Other components of your ritual will include how you shuffle and lay out your cards (completely
individual - do what feels right for you), and how you record your reading (see below).

Tarot Journaling

Journaling can feel tedious after putting time into your reading, but it is a critical
component of learning tarot. It helps you process your reading further, and the act of
writing it down helps integrate in a different way than just visually processing it. Just
as important, you’ll also have the ability to go back and look over past readings and
look for patterns and trends that emerge. Over time, these past readings can help you
see where you are progressing and where you might be stuck.

If writing really isn’t your thing, you can diagram your spread and jot keywords and phrases that you
want to hold onto in the margins. I use this method when I’m too tired to try and process a whole
reading into words, but want to make sure I have a record of it.

I have included a tarot journal page template at the end of the Guide for you to reproduce or
re-imagine as a tool for your practice.

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Reading Reversals
Whether or not to read cards reversed is up to you. If you’re just starting on your tarot journey, I
recommend reading with the cards right-side-up and just work on getting familiar with them that way
for a while.

If you’re moved to work with reversed cards, you don’t have to remember two meanings for each card. I
find reversals usually indicate the energy of the card is blocked or diminished somehow, or sometimes
(depending on its location in a spread) a warning away from that card’s energy. The book
Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom (see Resources below) does a good job covering possible reversal
meanings.

I hope you find this Guide to be an asset on your tarot journey. If you find you’d like more individual
guidance, I offer one-on-one tarot coaching to help folks strengthen their tarot practice for
self-growth and transformation. You can find out more about coaching, and articles on learning tarot on
the Learn Tarot page at InkwoodTarot.com.

Enjoy your tarot travels!

Cynthia
Recommended resources:

● Seventy-Eight Degrees of Wisdom, Rachel Pollack - Indispensable; the one book I recommend above all
others
● Tarot For Yourself, Mary K Greer - my second highest recommendation; dives into intuitive reading

● 21 Ways to Read a Tarot Card, Mary K Greer

● Numbers: Their Occult Value and Mystic Virtues, W. Wynn Westcott

● AeclecticTarot (Aeclectic.net) - An excellent online resource for deck research - thousands of deck images and
reviews available.

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 3 Pillar Spread
I created this spread based on the energy of the 3 pillars of the Kabbalistic Tree of Life which mirrors
the energy inside each of us. It can be used for introspective work to examine aspects of ourselves or an
issue we’re facing. Or for a balanced look at an external situation, relationship, or individual.

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 Tarot Journal Date:

Card of the Day

Today’s Mood/Energy:

Daily Intentions:

Deck(s) Used Today:

Spread for the Day

Question:

Interpretation:

Other Notes or Observations on the Day:

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