This key can be applied to any existing Tarot deck. It is clear, definitive and blessedly free of confusing esoteric doctrine or faerie tales. No one should have to struggle to understand something that is meant to illuminate. To simplify matters, only the higher Arcana, or Trump cards are required for the purpose of divination. It is a simple enough matter to include the minor cards later by simply applying the number to the major cards and interpreting in accord to the suit, staves for social interactions, coins for finance, swords for strife and cups for affairs of the heart. To illustrate this method we use the oldest example still in existence. The Visconti Sforza Deck from the 15th Century.


The cards

There are 22 cards that make up the Trumps or Higher Arcana of the standard Tarot Deck. The are typically numbered zero through twenty one. The two cards we wish to address first are the 0, the Fool, and 21, the World. The majority of all forms of divination begin with division. Whether it be I Ching sticks, a hand full of Sacred seeds or slips of paper, it makes no real difference. The Trump cards are first split, the World at one end and Man, represented as the Fool at the other. One through ten belong to the individual and eleven through twenty one belong to the world at large. A helpful way to think about it is to imagine the Fool at one end and the World at the other. The cards in between are the road the Fool must walk to gain knowledge of the World. The World represents, the World at large and everything in it. The Fools journey is like any other. We all can remember not knowing something. The joy and terror of the path of discovery. It makes little difference if the trip is short, or long. A trip to a foreign land or the first time you went anywhere by yourself. The elements are the same. We build things up in our head, or down play them. Always to discover things are not as we imagined, either better or worse but always not exact. When we are unburdened by immediate commitments we enter a state of freedom. We are free to discover and rediscover.

0-The Fool. A time to conclude your current affairs and look to new horizons.

21-The World. Significator. Far reaching goals or grandiose ideas.

Laying out the road

The remaining twenty cards have to be arranged properly in order to tell the story. The first ten are laid out in a row. Cards eleven through twenty are laid right beneath them as such:
01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10
11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20
The bottom row are environments, external conditions and uncontrolable activities corresponding to the card on the top row:

Behind the Magician is Fortitude (Strength).
Behind the Popess is the Hanged Man.
Behind the Empress is Death.
Behind the Emperor is Temperance.
Behind the Pope is the Devil.
Behind the The Lovers (virtue and vice) is the Tower.
Behind the Chariot is the Star.
Behind the Scales (also called Justice) is the Moon.
Behind the Hermit is the Sun.
Behind the Wheel (also called Fortune) is Judgement.

Ten Stories



Fortitude and the Magician (Charlatan). Bear in mind, that when the card was created, magicians were street performers. This is the intent of the card. Fortitude plays right into this story about a man out alone amongst a throng of people bustling about. Fortitude is the type of strength one developments by facing down adversity and standing their ground. We go as far as fear will allow us. Our knowledge ends at the point we retreat. When we go our own way we have nothing but our inner strength for support. In turn, we develop that strength by going it alone.

01-The Magician. A time for individual pursuits. Demonstrate your talents. Accept critiques.

11-Fortitude. Conflicts arise. Now is the time to stand your ground, or bend to the will of others.

The Hanged Man and the Popess. In the 15th century the Popess was un-named. It is the image of a religious woman with a book and a switch. This is not just a teacher. This is about lessons. This is about the obligation of those who know, to teach and those who don’t know, to learn. The Hanged Man illustrates the state of suspension one finds themselves in as a result of lack of knowledge. There are things you must know in order to proceed beyond this point and things will be held in check until you do so.

02-The Popess. The time is ripe to seek the counsel of learned individuals. Time to hit the books.

12-The Hanged Man. Something you do not know or are not aware of is holding things up. Seek information.


Death and the Empress. The Empress is the very symbol of Opulence. The companion to such opulence is Death. It brings to mind countless wars fought so a precious few could live like kings. But, that is not their story. The story is one of bringing forth abundance. The Empress is the Queen Mother. The Death in question is the fallowed field. This is a natural progression. The release of that which had been held up during suspension. The fallowed field is the repository of all that has been given time to rest and restore. Visit places you haven't been for some time and feel renewed. Nothing could be simpler. This is time to make the best use of resources already on hand and not seek them elsewhere.

03-The Empress. Marked increase in activities and ideas. Possible reunions in order. Plant your seeds in now fertile grounds.

13-Death. Time to leave things be. A time for rest and healing. Things undone should remain so for the time being.

Temperance and the Emperor. The woman on the card is pouring liquid from one jug and catching it in another. She represents self restraint. The need to contain one’s behavior and not let things get away from you and take on a life of their own. But who is the Emperor? He is there to sustain the Empire. His life is his duty. He is at the top and there is nowhere left to go. This is fulfillment in the sense that things will not progress beyond this point. This is a time to stop trying to move ahead and focus on maintenance.

04-The Emperor. Things are as finished as they are going to be for awhile. Time to focus on maintenance. Job complete.

14-Temperance. Rules and regulations abound. Time to take stock of your resources and focus on management.

The Devil and the Pope. There cannot be one without the other. Fear of the Devil drives numerous people to Church. Countless are the things people do, simply because they’re afraid not to. The Devil speaks of things we fear as the Pope offers us shelter from the storm. On the other side the Devil offers us a break from the restrictions imposed by the Church. Here we learn to have faith in the face of fear. He we learn that a little vice now and then can be a good thing. Or, that there are times when the poison can be the remedy.

05-The Pope. Time for a break in the routine. Creating space is important to future developments. Use deters as an opportunity for discovery.

15-The Devil. Oppression only mounts the longer you hold on to things out of habit or fear.

 The Tower and the Lovers. The Tower card has been thought of as the Tower of Babel, although, all the stories have in common is a tower. On the Card the tower is wearing a crown and two people have been thrown from the top as the result of a lightning strike. The Tower represents the Empire beginning to fall as all Empires do when they run out of room to grow. The Lovers Card shows what looks like a cordial greeting under a blindfolded angelic boy. This represents an alliance. Synergy, a union, where the whole becomes greater than the sum of its parts. A union that will transform the Empire and elevate all those involved. A fall that leads to a revival. A revival that thwarts a fall.

06-The Lovers. The only way ahead is with the assistance of others. Bonds formed now may become everlasting.

16-The Tower. All things have their limits. Time is the one limit they all share. Time to recognize those things whose time has come.

The Star and the Chariot. The Star Card depicts and young woman with her left hand raised to a star she is gazing toward. This is her guiding star. An infinitely reliable source of orientation. The Chariot shows a woman wearing a crown in a chariot being drawn be two prancing stallions. This is a rather grand pageant and serves to unify people.We are all part of something grander than ourselves. The Star shows a young woman with her left hand up to a star. Unconcerned with her surroundings her thoughts are of places far away.

07-The Chariot. A time to take in the pageantry and spectacle of the world around you. For better or worse, embrace what you are a part of.

17-The Star. A general malaise sets in. You may have too much time on your hands or not enough interest in current affairs.

The Moon and the Scales (Justice). The Moon Card depicts a young woman holding a waning crescent Moon in her right hand and what looks to be a cord in her left. The Scales Card depicts a young woman, holding scales in her left hand and a sword in the right hand. A knight, brandishing a sword on horseback is seen above her. This has been confused with the figure of Justice. Justice wears a blindfold. This woman does not. The scales are indicative of commerce. Driven by the tides of the Moon. It speaks to us about how we are truly at the mercy of forces beyond our control. At times in life, a ball has been set in motion that nothing will stop. Only in the aftermath do we learn acceptance. Acceptance of the inevitable.

08-The Scales. The larger your investment of time, money, or resourses, the more you stand to lose. Protect yourself through wise financial planning.

19-The Moon. Beware of secret deals and nefarious dealings behind the scenes. Offers that are too good to be true, are not.

The Sun and the Hermit (Wise man). The Sun Card depicts a cherub carrying the Sun through the sky, riding on a dark cloud. By contrast the Hermit depicts an old man in the dark with a lamp in his hand. This comes on the heels of acceptance of the inevitable and speaks to the need to seek solace. Either by a period of retreat or putting distance between yourself and the situation.
The Sun shows an escape from cares and worries.
09-The Hermit. A period of reflection and isolation will help you to marshal your inner resources.

20-The Sun. Time to seek your solace in the company of others. Seek things that bring you joy.

Judgement and the Wheel. Judgement depicts an old man wearing a crown, sword in the right hand of might and symbol of divinity in his left hand. He hovers above two angelic figures blowing trumpets over a sepulcher. Three figures look hopefully up from the tomb. This is fulfillment of hope. Contrasted against the Wheel which depicts a person going up while another person is going down. A person elevated to the top, while yet another is trodden underneath. All the while, fortune wears a blindfold. Fortune is blind to our wants and needs and treats all equally. That fulfillment of hope through outside agencies is largely a matter of chance is clearly stated and the Wheel keeps turning. We long for and hope that we are chosen, but in the end this will be dictated by chance and all that is gained by chance, will lost by chance. To wait around and hope is to be entombed by our own inaction. But if chance has us down, it is only a matter of time before relief comes around.

10-The Wheel. Chance and happenstance render current plans moot. Adaptability is the key to success at this time.

21-Judgement. Long awaited news or news from far away are of a welcomed nature. Recognition of success'. Condemnations for failures figure predominantly.



Chance reading

So that it would be a fair example, I went to an online tarot site and used their online pick a card page to generate two cards with which to demonstrate this method in random selection. The first card is the fool and the second card, the emperor. The first card is the farthest point out. When the first card is revealed, it establishes a moment in time and space, differentiated. All that immediately follows is subordinate. The the Fool is something directly ahead. The via to get there, the second card, the Emperor. If a third card is drawn, it becomes as the first and the forth is subordinate. And so on. Together the Fool and the Emperor speak to filling your coffers before going on a fling. Apparently creating loose ends is not recommended at this time. This would suggest a lot of work to be done before playtime begins. The cards are telling me, I need to finish writing this before starting something new. That is not always the case. There are times we need to set things down and come back to them. This apparently is not one of those times. These stories are timeless, honest and have many layers. It is the dynamic of their arrangement that generates the tales. The stories existed long before the cards depicted them and they will be around long after we are gone.

The End