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The first known tarot deck was around the 13th centuary, when decks were probably in the hands of travelling minstrals and gypsys. In the days before most of the general populace could read, information was often passed on visually. For example: there are 4 suits in a deck - 4 seasons in a year or 4 weeks in a month; 13 cards in a suit - 13 months in a seasonal year; 52 cards in the four suits and 52 weeks in a year.
The tarot deck is made up of a major and minor arcana, a total of 78 different cards, each card has an upright and a reversed position.
There are 22 cards in the major arcarna, each one represents a stage or situation in a life; they relate to all the archetypes that make up our consciousness and sub-conscious. (very Jungian ;)
The minor arcarna is made up of 56 cards, these correspond to a normal deck of playing cards.
- The four suits in the tarot link to the seasons and astrology
- Hearts in a playing deck are Cups in the tarot deck, they represent the water signs - pisces, cancer and scorpio and the season is autumn; the connection with these cards is 'feeling'.
- Diamonds are represented by Coins or Pentacles, these are the earth signs - taurus, capricorn and virgo and the season is winter, the association with these cards is 'practical'.
- Clubs are the Wands and the fire signs - leo, aries and sagittarius, Summer is the season and 'action' is the key phrase.
- Spades are the Swords in the tarot deck, they are the air signs - libra, gemini and aquarius. The season is spring and the sense of these cards is 'thought'.
The Tarot deck pictured, which I used on the evening is The Celtic Tarot by Helena Paterson, it is superbly illustrated by the renowned celtic artist Courtney Davis. I have owned the deck since shortly after it's publication in 1990.
I think one of the reasons so many find The Tarot fascinating is the vivid symbology, and the archetypes which can be captivating on many levels. I consider myself a 'healthy' sceptic with an open mind, The Tarot is not infallible, at times there appears to be no rhyme nor reason to a layout but I am constantly amazed at the way the cards fall, at how often they prove to be unerringly accurate.
Sarah's contribution to the party was welcomed with great enthusiasm; in moments there was a queue  to consult her skill with the Tarot cards. If you missed out on a reading or would like to attempt interpreting the cards yourself, Sarah recommends facade.com a site with a interesting and entertaining information which offers free online reading.
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