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by: CharlieReese
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Suits in Tarot Cards

The suits in the Tarot play an important role in reading and interpreting the cards. A basic starting point for any serious student of the Tarot is to become familiar with the four suits of the Minor Arcana and to understand what they mean. The four suits are: 1) Wands, 2) Cups; 3) Swords, and 4) Coins. The fully understand the differences between the Ace of Wands and the Ace of Coins, for example, the reader needs to know the essence of the suit that a particular card belongs to along with its individual meaning.

The Minor Arcana cards represent people, everyday situations, and the events along the path of your life. These compliment the energy represented by the Major Arcana which shows the actual life journey. The four suits correspond to the many systems of four devised by humans over the generations: four directions (north, south, east and west); four elements (fire, water, air and earth); four functions of the mind (thinking, feeling, sensation and intuition).

The following chard lists the four suits and their corresponding elements:

Wands Direction:South Element:Fire Season:Summer Mind Function: Intuition

Cups Direction:West Element:Water Season:Autumn Mind Function: Feelings

Swords Direction:East Element:Air Season:Spring Mind Function: Thinking

Coins Direction:North Element:Earth Season:Winter Mind Function: Sensation

When you think of Wands, think of fire. In some decks, the wands may even be portrayed with flames coming out of their ends. Couple this with images of passion, desire, dynamic force, ambitions, creativity, vitality, self-development, growth and perception. Wands represent the forward energy that is active in inventing.

When you think of Cups, think of the deep and mysterious essence of water. Many styles of decks incorporate images of water and floating objects in their designs. Cups cards Cups represent emotions, psychic and intuitive arts, fantasy and illusion, fertility, spirituality, grace and serenity.

When you think of Swords, think of the mental strategies required of great swordsmen. Swords represent our minds, including our abilities to consider, contrast and compare, weigh evidence and make decisions. Swords are strong and can connote conflict, pain, anger and aggression.

When you think of coins, think of., well, shopping! Coins represent the material aspects of our lives - our finances, possessions, accomplishments, business, land, home, and level of abundance. Coins also represent our bodies and our connection to the Earth and Nature. Coins represent our strengths and talents, but they can also represent material loss or the negative effects of material obsessions as well as low self-esteem.

The suits in Tarot give placement to the other cards in the cosmic realm. They color and shape the qualities and characteristics of the symbols and numbers to which they belong.

About the Author

Charlie Reese loves reading tarot cards and learning more about tarot also. He also loves practicing form and baseball.

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