The journal · The systems
Tarot
The deck's structure, the spreads to learn first, and where the tradition comes from.
10 articles.
Major vs Minor Arcana: the structure of the deck
Seventy-eight cards. Two halves. Learn the shape and the deck stops being scary.
4 min read
The Celtic Cross, explained
Ten cards, two structures, and one position almost every guide gets wrong.
4 min read
Rider-Waite vs Thoth vs Marseille: choosing a deck
Three traditions. The choice shapes how you learn far more than which art you like.
5 min read
Court cards are the hardest part | here's a system
Sixteen cards, one grid, and the question to ask before you read any of them.
4 min read
What the Death card really means
It's about endings. No reputable reader treats it as literal, and I've been reading since I was nine.
4 min read
The Fool's Journey: reading the Major Arcana as a story
Twenty-two cards in sequence. The fastest way to learn them all, and then let go of it.
4 min read
Tarot vs oracle decks: what's the difference?
One has a structure you can learn. The other has whatever its creator felt like. That's the whole difference.
4 min read
Reversed cards: read them or skip them?
Not traditional, not required, and a decision to make before you shuffle.
2 min read
The history of tarot: from Renaissance card game to divination
A card game for about 350 years before anyone read a fortune with it.
4 min read
Your first tarot spread: three-card readings for beginners
Three cards. One question. Frankly, more use than a ten-card spread you can't read.
4 min read
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