/r/tarotarcana
A place to talk about the theory, history, symbolism, and interpretations of cartomancy methods—Tarot (RWS, Thoth, etc.), Oracle, Lenormand, and others.
A place to talk about the theory, history, esoterica, and symbolism of the Tarot and related cartomancy methods. Discuss methods, interpretations, thoughts on the history and development of the decks, and anything else you can think of! This is a focused subreddit for discussion of the theory, history, and ideas you have or find interesting about the art, similar to our sister subreddit, /r/TheoryOfAstrology.
Guidelines:
Follow Rediquette. Be civil and kind, and have fun.
Please refrain from advertising services or products.
If you want to request or offer readings or interpretations of spreads, please post them on /r/AskATarotReader. This subreddit is specifically dedicated to the theory surrounding Tarot, not personal readings.
Related Subreddits:
Chat Groups Of Interest:
/r/tarotarcana
1,097 Subscribers
What's the most misunderstood Tarot card in your opinion?
Hey folks,
We all know the Death card isn't about literal death (most of the time), but are there other cards that people consistently misinterpret? Which ones and why? Let's clear up some misconceptions together.
00:17 UTC
Can Tarot actually predict the future, or are we just seeing what we want to see?
Alright, let's get real for a second.
Do you believe Tarot cards have the power to foresee events, or is it more about self-reflection and intuition? I've been on the fence lately and curious about what you all think. Let's discuss!
01:15 UTC
Have you ever felt a Tarot reading hit a little too close to home?
Hey all,
So I did a spread last night, and let's just say it was like the cards were reading my diary. Ever had a reading that felt eerily accurate or stirred up some deep emotions? Would love to hear your experiences.
13:14 UTC
🌟 We're Back, Mystic Folks!
Here's what we're cooking up:
- Weekly Card Pull Challenges - Every Monday, we'll post a specific spread or question, and everyone can share their interpretations. Best discussions get featured in our monthly newsletter! First one drops next week 😉
- "Ask the Community" Thursdays - Got a card that's been stumping you? Need a second opinion on that weird reading you did? Thursdays will be our dedicated day for collective wisdom sharing!
- Monthly Master Classes - We're planning to invite experienced readers, historians, and deck creators for AMAs and deep dives into specific aspects of cartomancy. First up: Understanding the historical context of the RWS deck!
Join Our Team! ✨
We're looking for passionate folks to join our mod team and help shape this community! If you're into:
- Keeping discussions flowing
- Creating engaging content
- Building a supportive space for cartomancy enthusiasts
- Making terrible tarot puns (optional but appreciated)
Click here to send us a modmail!
Drop us a message with a bit about yourself and your experience with cartomancy. No formal qualifications needed - just enthusiasm and good vibes!
Stay Tuned! 🌙
Keep your eyes peeled for our first Weekly Card Pull Challenge coming up soon. Until then, feel free to introduce yourself in the comments!
The Tower might shake things up, but that's how we build something better! 😉
^(Questions? Suggestions? Death card got you down? Hit us up in the comments or slide into our modmail!)
03:52 UTC
What about the Justice card resonates with you?
Pull Justice from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
09:57 UTC
What do you connect with on the Wheel of Fortune card?
Pull the Wheel of Fortune from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
10:27 UTC
What about The Hermit card resonates with you?
Pull The Hermit from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
13:17 UTC
What do you connect with on the Strength card?
Pull Strength from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
13:07 UTC
What about The Chariot card resonates with you?
Pull The Chariot from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
10:17 UTC
What do you connect with on The Lovers card?
Pull The Lovers from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
09:57 UTC
What about The Hierophant card resonates with you?
Pull The Hierophant from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
10:57 UTC
What do you connect with on The Emperor card?
Pull The Emperor from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
11:37 UTC
The red feather in RWS tarot
In the Rider-Waite-Smith (RWS) system, the red feather symbolizes the subject of the card's life force. And, it appears on The Fool card in his cap, on The Sun card in the child’s crown of flowers, and on the Death card on Death’s helmet.
The red feather is firm and holds its shape on the Fool’s cap, and it’s blowing in the wind and upright on The Sun. It symbolizes the vibrancy of the life force on both cards.
On the Death card, the feather is wilted and dying. It’s at the end of its life.
In tarot, colors also have meaning, and the red on the feather symbolizes energy and passion. You would interpret the energy and passion by whether the feather is wilted or upright.
Interestingly, the red feather isn’t the only symbol The Fool and Death share in the RWS tarot.
Other decks based on RWS, may or may not have the red feather in these cards.
In the Light Seer’s Tarot deck, a feather isn’t featured on The Fool, The Sun, or Death cards. But, the color red does appear on all three cards.
In the Shadowscapes Tarot deck, the phoenix has some red feathers on the Death card and the Sun card features feathers of many colors including red. The Fool has red ribbons, a red rose, and a red heart, but doesn’t have any red feathers.
Take a look at The Fool, The Sun, and Death in your deck. Do they have red feathers? Do they have other red symbols?
Sources:
The Ultimate Guide to Tarot
Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot Deck
Light Seers Tarot Deck
Shadowscapes Tarot Deck
13:03 UTC
What about The Empress card resonates with you?
Pull The Empress from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider-Waite-Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
11:07 UTC
What about The High Priestess card resonates with you?
Pull The High Priestess from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive interpretation or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
14:17 UTC
The Fool holds a rose…
10:12 UTC
The Empress and Pomegranates
In the Rider-Waite-Smith system, pomegranates are seen on the fabric of the Empress' dress. They’re a symbol of the Greek myth with Demeter and Persephone.
In the myth, Persephone's fate was decided when she ate six pomegranate seeds in the Underworld with Hades. In short, she had to split her time between her mother (Demeter) and Hades (god of the Underworld).
She returned to Demeter and Earth for 6 months of the year and 6 months in the Underworld with Hades which brings about the seasonal changes on Earth. In this myth and the Rider–Waite card, pomegranates symbolize fertility, death, and rebirth.
The pomegranate appears on one other Rider–Waite Tarot card—The High Priestess.
Pomegranates aren’t on all Empress cards in every deck. They don’t make an appearance on the Light Seer’s or Shadowscapes tarot decks.
Are pomegranates on your deck’s Empress? (Share the deck too.)
Source: The Ultimate Guide to Tarot; Pg. 44
21:14 UTC
What do you connect with on The Magician card?
Pull The Magician from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider Waite tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
13:27 UTC
What about The Fool card resonates with you?
Pull The Fool from your deck (or look at the picture from the Rider Waite tarot deck).
Look at the imagery, the symbols, the colors, everything you can see.
Share in a post or comment what resonates with you, why it does, and what it means. You can share the traditional meaning or your intuitive mean or both (tell us which one you choose).
Credit your deck in your post or comment.
11:27 UTC
TarotFloof Practice: 6 of Cups
14:00 UTC
tarotarcana is under new mod-management
Hello, everyone! I’m your new mod, Intrepid-Ingrid.
The community is undergoing a facelift before I open it back up for posting.
What’s new?
- Rules
- Post Flair (a glossary is in the sidebar (community info)
- Similar Communities in the sidebar (community info)
When can you post?
I have a couple more things on my to-do list – set up AutoMod and give the community a new look.
I’m expecting to have this done by the end of the week and will share a post letting you know that tarotarcana is open for business.
This is our community, and I can’t run it without you! If you have questions, or suggestions, or would like to share anything with me, reach out through ModMail.
13:56 UTC
r/tarotarcana needs moderators and is currently available for request
If you're interested and willing to moderate and grow this community, please go to r/redditrequest, where you can submit a request to take over the community. Be sure to read through the faq for r/redditrequest before submitting.
01:57 UTC
Please help, found tarot cards outside literally right after a bad experience. Does it mean anything?
If you want more info on what happened I could tell you, but basically I got sent home from work because I make a stupid mistake. I was walking home, panicking for what will happen next time I go to work, when I found 6 tarot cards on the side walk. The order they were in were XIII Death XIV Temperance Ace of Cups Eight of Cups Knight of Swords Two of Cups I know nothing of Tarot, but I believe everything happens for a reason. If you have any input please chime in, and thank you for your time.
17:57 UTC