----====#### Introduction ####====----

Tarot has been looked upon as a method of inflicting various effects on an
opponent, increasing one’s own abilities and of bringing death to your foes.
Rarely however, is the practice of Tarot used to determine matters of fate and
prophecy. Each of the tarots has its own set of meanings, which are based upon
where in one's card arrangement it is found. Most arrangements use only four or
five cards, though some require six. There are twenty one modern day tarot cards
and a few that have been lost as cards have been reinterpreted or otherwise
modified to resemble aspects of the Last Nine Vernal Gods.

----====#### The Tarot ####====----

Each of the current cards has their own meanings, which we will identify in
order to begin our workings with the magics of tarot. The tarot we use today
are healer, emperor, magician, hangedman, fool, hermit, empress, teacher,
lovers, warrior, fall, moon, judge, starleaper, catacombs, princess, aeon, lust,
enigma, soulless and world.

All cards fall under dark, light or gray in alignment. A dark alignment can
mean evil, negativity or secrecy. A light alignment means holiness, positive,
or assured. Gray means there is no weight in any one direction and is typically
considered as unclear result. The purpose of the alignment is to gather a
result from questions that could vary in answer and include things such as yes
or no questions, a person’s motives or loyalties, and how accurate a result
is.

The modern tarots we currently use are:

+Healer (Light)
- Health, Empowerment, Increase and Improvement are the inspirations of this
tarot. The Healer is a sign of good things, usually translated to always give a
favourable result. The Healer is a kind soul and would not strike out against
others, as his life is preserving life instead of taking it.

+Emperor (Dark)
- Leadership, Control, Respect and Power are among the precepts of this tarot.
Just as the Emperor was a leader of Old Celest he demonstrates all that which
he once was. His leadership, control, power and commanding of respect echo even
in his paper form. Be warned that the emperor is not a pleasant card to cross
in many cases and should be taken as a bad sign outside of a close
interpretation to its precepts. Generally the image of the Emperor is depicted
as that of Emperor Ladantine VII.

(A picture of a large figure is drawn on the paper though slightly torn and
faded from wear and age)

+Magician (Gray)
- Illusion, the Mind, Magic and Wisdom are the teachings of the Magician.
Often misconstrued to mean knowledge, the Magician refers not to knowledge
itself but the use of it. There is no clear good or bad with this image, as its
interpretations vary widely, so too does its perceived alignment.

+Hangedman (Gray)
- Hindrances, Impairment, Indecision and a Slowing are obstacles indicated
here. Though there are no good basics to be found with the hangedman we become
who we are through hardship, not simple ease. Generally interpreted as a sign
of impeded progress, it is not a pleasant draw to encounter in most cases.

+Fool (Gray)
- Trickery, Humour, Happiness and Concealed are traits the fool often embodies
best. The fool is a double edged blade as stands to mean both happiness and
trickery. Take care and pray it only means what you hope or you could end up
with a very backward result. As the fool is tricky only in nature not for
malicious reasons he is considered neutral for most purposes.

+Hermit (Gray)
- Solidarity, Reclusiveness, Independence and Introversion are the marks of
the lone hermit. Often a sign of breaking off from the world or a group, seeing
this card often predicts a time of being cutting off from some other or others.
The hermit gives no specific length of time, so it could indicate near death, a
very brief respite or in rare cases, sleep.

+Empress (Light)
- Reuniting, Longing, Friends and Return are among the views the empress
grants. Most often the indicator of a return of an individual, it also
frequently means friends when expressing a person or thing instead of an action.
Many pray it means the return of someone long hoped for.

+Teacher (Light)
- Knowledge, a Mentor, Learning and New Things make teacher one of the more
pleasant cards to drop or flip in your predictions. Though it embodies a mentor
it can mean any person you look to in some fashion. This tarot refers to what
someone knows but not applying it to anything specific, which falls under the
magician.

+Lovers (Light)
- Love, a Companion, Togetherness and Bliss are the rather glowing traits of
this particular magic. The Lovers are considered a good sign in interpretation
although they have also been known to refer to break ups and similar things when
linked with Soulless, Warrior or Lust. Lovers is one of the most heavily
influenced by the card or cards it is linked to, so be mindful of your
attunement to the cards, lest you predict false.

(A picture has been penned to the side of the wrinkled parchment, but all that
can be made out is a loose form of two figures on its surface)

+Warrior (Dark)
- Maliciousness, Violence, Battle and Anger are the dark talents of this rage
filled card. The warrior is known to negate the intended card it is played
alongside, for instance meaning a fight in a friendship or relationship, for
empress and lovers respectively. Warrior isn't considered a positive result
unless it falls alongside certain other negative cards, but that is subject to
interpretations.

+Fall (Dark)
- Destruction, Lacking Control, Inhibition and Conclusions all land under the
symbol of the fall tarot. A dangerous combination along the warrior or
soulless, as these often mean violent deaths or devastation. Fall is also
considered to mark the end or conclusion of something, so consider carefully
whether your fate scry calls for this card.

+Moon (Gray)
- Emotions, Waters, Life Ties and the Universe can be considered just a few of
the moons principles, which vary greatly from one person to the next. Before
drawing a deck you should decide what the moon means to you. Keep in mind the
moon card means universe in terms of an area not in reference to what is in it.
For this reason it is possible for this tarot to mean a location instead.

+Judge (Light)
- Justice, Fairness, Decisions and Equality stand out as the major bases for
the judge. Making a decision is the most frequent result of seeing this being
of the tarot arts. There are select results that lead to decisively bad
results; the emperor for instance often means a decision of great power. Though
the image of this card varies, a frequent choice is a depiction of the Supernal
Japhiel.

+Starleaper (Light)
- Escape, Vanishing, Haste and Sudden Trips maintain themselves as the
greatest properties of the starleaper. An often random and misunderstood tarot,
it can lend itself to highly unpredictable results by skewing the meaning of
other cards in its set. Leave the mind open when this card is exposed and let
your being find the meaning it possesses. That is the surest way to capture the
true intended definition.

+Catacombs (Dark)
- Direction, Place, Change and Paths all fall under this totem of places.
Though most of it refers to how to get somewhere, the paths can also be paths of
life or the specific path a decision will take. Be careful about forking tarot
from this card as it can paint a picture more specific than most people will
wish to hear.

+Princess (Light)
- Generosity, Passion, Purity and Sadness leave themselves within her sphere.
Another sign of light that also can mean a negative thing. Though the princess
is an embodiment of righteousness she is also stricken in sadness for that which
she cannot help. Long ago the princess was called the martyr. In current days
the princess is often depicted as Princess Marilynth of the Holy Celestian
Empire.

+Aeon (Dark)
- Aeon bears no direct meanings of its own. Instead it refers to rarely
referred to values in other tarot or in some cases a mistaken flip. Aeon should
be seen as a correction to a played card not a new card of its own. If a
fortune is unsure due to aeon you can often retell a second attempt but bear in
mind the first origins. Leading with aeon means a prediction is cast in deep
uncertainty.

+Lust (Dark)
- Connections, Randomness, Coming Call and Endurance are bound to this piece
of magic. Do not mistake this card for the lovers, as that can create greatly
mistaken results. When Lust comes up next to lovers examine the other cards
that are along them to decide if it means a false bond or a meaning of a more
sensual nature.

+Enigma (Gray)
- The Enigma's original meaning was lost some time ago but has been considered
to mean variable and open to change. On its own in answer to a question the
dealer should take this to me the answer can change by mortal action, not simply
is unseen. Keep in mind that the enigma also hides may mysteries and when
parted can mean the previous card has double meanings.

+Soulless (Dark)
- Death, Negative, Hatred and Evil are full values of the soulless which was
once also called the death or void card in ancient days. No good can come of
this card and the worst should always be assumed when it is brought into play.
The soulless is only accurate if it is not along or parted from the enigma. The
Enigma removes the devastating effects of this card on the layout. A frequent
depiction for this card is a swirling vortex of darkness.

(A card with an image of a swirling pool of darkness has been painstakingly
penned with great detail between the paragraphs)

+World (Gray)
- The world refers to a specific group, place or the world in general. While
this lack of meaning is often considered a mistake it leads to more accurate
descriptions than always assuming the world as a whole. World can also refer to
a measure of something such as the strength of the whole world when played along
the emperor.

----====#### How to Use the Tarot Deal ####====----

When describing tarot some terms come up; part or parted, along and linked.
Tarot has no required forms in the modern days of the Basin and instead is bound
by a set of rules. A tarotist should be well bound to his deck before
attempting to use it to read the ties of life and time. To part means to place
a card behind another to reveal later to allow greater clarity of
interpretation. When a card is along another card that means it is next to the
previous card played and references on it heavily. Lastly and of the greatest
importance, is linked, which refers to the bonds a card shares with another
already put into play to help define it.

It is suggest you decide what form you plan to begin with, whether it is a
tree, a circle, a chain or another group of your own decision. Keep in mind
once you decide what form you will be taking do not keep drawing cards in the
hopes of improving the card and when you feel a layout is done, regardless of
cards left, then consider the viewing concluded. While each person will have
their own answer it is the job of the tarotist to understand what their deck is
trying to explain or reveal to them. Bear in mind not everyone’s destiny can
be plotted on a line, times of great uncertainty can distort the vision sought.
Anytime a reading feels as though it is wrong it is best to return the cards to
the deck and allow them to purify.

----====#### Common Practices ####====----

If a deck seems to be viewing false it is best to attune and purify. You can
purify a deck by placing it upon a shrine of one your Lords or Avatars and
praying over it, preferably touching your fingers to the deck and audibly
speaking. This is a tedious process but allows the deck to be broken from the
bonds of mortal restraints and draw upon greater powers to grant sight more
accurately. Attuning to a deck is a very personal thing and should involve deep
meditations of no less than three hours while holding the deck comfortably. The
purpose is to create a deeper bond to better allow a translation of the cards in
any form of reading.

Having gold or precious metals near where cards are being laid out is said to
increase the accuracy of the readings though this is unconfirmed and could
simply be attempts by rogue tarotists to earn an extra spot of gold. Though not
required it is also common to have a leather mat to deal the cards upon to
protect them from most elements and improve the decks life span, as binding a
whole new deck can often involve a half day of focused meditation. Cleaning
cards should be done with a very lightly moistened cloth over both sides, wiping
no more than three cards before rinsing out the cloth.

Hopefully this guide will begin your practices in tarot properly. The study of
tarot has evolved with age and is becoming both more precise and more
mysterious. I hope my writing will preserve the information for future
generations and preserve the art.