Tarot cards are a deck of 78 cards that depict aspects of life and spiritual development.  There are four suits with fourteen cards, 1-10 and four court cards – these cards are known collectively as the minor arcana, and are similar in format to a regular deck of playing cards.  In addition there are 22 "trump" cards, also known as the major arcana, which represent more significant stages of life and the spiritual journey of the soul. Taken together, the 78 cards are intended to represent all the possible cycles of life and experiences that one might encounter.

Tarot cards are used to explore the journey of the soul through life, or through many lifetimes. The cards are used by many to study the cycles of life, develop a personal or spiritual philosophy, and for meditation and guidance. In addition, they can be used to "read" the energies surrounding a situation and give useful advice, understanding, and guidance. No-one knows exactly how they work, although there are many theories. Tarot cards contain symbolism that is deeply imprinted on our subconscious and collective mind, and through these symbols may draw out what is buried in our own minds and souls and bring it to light, where we can examine them and learn to apply these universal concepts to our own life.  Many readers believe they have a psychic connection to their clients, while others believe that they draw energy or information from guides or from a collective universal energy or mind.  Whatever the mechanism - and it may be different for each reader – it is apparent that they do "work".

Our knowledge about the origin of tarot cards is incomplete. We do know that they were developed in 15th-century in northern Italy, although we don't know by whom.  The oldest known decks appeared in connection with certain wealthy Italian families, and were originally used for playing a parlour game called Tarocchi, a trick-taking game with trumps, or Triumphs. The mystical and divination practices associated with Tarot are widely believed to have originated in the 18th century.  The study of tarot took a significant step forward in the 19^th century, with the formation of a mystical society called the Golden Dawn, whose members reorganized the tarot decks into a format that was more internally consistent, drew from the magickal and qabalistic traditions of western mysticism, and integrated astrological and numerological concepts into the symbolism of the cards. These decks are known as the Rider-Waite-Smith decks collectively, and are the basis for most traditional decks you see in use today.

In more recent years, various authors and artists have developed decks in other traditions, including Pagan, Shamanistic, Wiccan, Native American, African, and decks developed by and for women (most of the early decks were developed by men, and they have a decidedly different focus and feel to them). These decks provide a variety of multicultural alternatives to the largely European Rider-Waite decks, and examples of many of these approaches, both traditional and multicultural.

If you're a newcomer to the Tarot, you may also prefer a "beginner" deck like the Universal Waite, Hanson-Roberts, or Sharman-Caselli as the more standard Rider-Waite-based meanings and symbolism can be easier to learn.

You can ask almost any type of question, covering any area of life or personal development.  The question can be about the past, present, or future, about your life, relationships, business, career, finances, or personal development. If you ask about the future, please be aware that your future is not predetermined, and many things may affect or change it, including your actions and decisions and those of others, and random events.  The future you will see is only what can be predicted based on events and energies that are already in motion, and represents the most likely future based on the path you are on now. You can always change what you see, and so can others.

Because tarot is designed to represent all aspects of life, there is really no question you cannot ask.  However, there are a few questions we cannot answer, for ethical and liability reasons.  Because I am not a trained doctor, lawyer, or investment counselor, I cannot answer questions of a medical, legal, or investment nature.  For these questions, I recommend you seek the assistance of a professional. So for example, I am ethically and legally required not to answer questions such as whether you are pregnant, what stock you should invest in, or whether you should sue your employer. However, I can help you with other aspects of these situations, including emotional and personal issues, coping strategies, general courses of action or alternatives analysis.

Finally, the question you ask should be about you and your relationships with others.  Doing readings that are solely focused on another person is considered unethical and may invade their privacy.  So for example, it is OK to ask "How can I improve my marriage?" but not "Is my husband having an affair?"  If you would like a reading that deeply involves another person, such as couples counseling or a joint past life reading, please obtain their permission and provide it to me as part of the reading request.

You may phrase it any way you like, but some ways may provide you with a more useful reading than others.  It is recommended that you avoid yes/no questions.  Receiving a yes or no answer does not provide you with very much information about the situation, and may not accurately reflect all the complexities involved in the answer. If you ask it differently you may receive a great deal more to work with. For example, instead of asking "Will my new business be successful?" you might ask "What do I need to know to make my new business as successful as possible?"  This latter reading will tell about all the factors working for and against you, and gives you specific tools and advice to improve your situation – rather than being a passive observer of events. In general, try asking questions that empower you to improve the situation, that begin with how, why, what do I need to know, or other approaches that provide you with more insight into the situation.

I also recommend that you limit your reading to one topic – it may be a very complex topic, but try to avoid asking for a reading on more than one unrelated area.  It helps if you can ask your question in a fairly concise manner, then add any supporting information in your additional comments.  Supporting information is very useful for the tarot reading, but is not required. Every tarot card is intended to represent abstract phases of life, and can have a wide variety of meanings depending on the question, the client's situation, and the type of reading being conducted. For example, court cards can represent aspects of your own mind and personality, or they can represent other people.  If I know a little about who is involved in your situation, I can more easily determine whether a court card represents you or someone else.  While I trust the Universe to give me the cards that are right for you, I am not infallible in interpreting them and I do not consider myself a psychic channeler.  So, just as you would with any professional you were asking to help you solve a problem, providing background information is helpful.

Always.  Your future is not predetermined, and you have free will, along with the right and responsibility to exercise it. A tarot reading should never be accepted as an absolute prediction of things to come, but rather an encouragement if you are on the right path, or a warning of what may come if you continue down a destructive path.  Tarot readings should be considered tools for making positive changes in your own life and for understanding the influences at work in any situation. Clients have the ultimate responsibility for using this information and making their own decisions.