To make a living, especially at something you've been employed at for a long time, may dead-end when you find you can't go any further in your pursuit. Unlike Daedalus' life, it doesn't take a murder for your mediocre job to end suddenly. You know you can't go any further up the ladder and won't be receiving more pay, so sometimes, in order to grow, you may be forced to take a different road to gain a different perspective.

Over my life I've had many different professions: secretary, corrections officer, property manager, author, and tarot instructor. These radical changes were due to sometimes circumstances beyond my control, and then also, the fact that I was simply bored. In the beginning of these job changes, I have to admit they were based on money. But now my work has led me not so much to the money, but to the satisfaction and contentment. I, like Daedalus, hope to live a satisfied and rich life.

The suit of pentacles is represented by Daedalus and the minotaur. Daedalus was a skilled and gifted craftsman. Daedalus perfected his skills and was famous for his gift. Daedalus also had a few problems. One of his character flaws was jealously. Daedalus was so jealous of his pre-teen nephew, who exhibited craftsman's skills on his level, that he murdered the boy.

Thus, with the sin of jealousy, a great and gifted craftsman succumbed to fleeing for his life. Daedalus took to the road and found himself in the city of Crete and the ruler, King Minos. Daedalus found favor and protection with the king and started his trade all over. But the god Poseidon wanted Daedalus' employer to perform a sacrifice. King Minos disrespected the god and ignored Poseidon's order. Daedalus was not the direct target of Poseidon's revenge, but, nevertheless, was drawn into the drama.

Daedalus compromised his value of loyalty to King Minos when he fell into an arrangement of helping the king's wife, whom Poseidon put a spell upon. Daedalus, without compromising his favor with the king or bringing the wrath of Poseidon upon him, worked at this problem. When Daedalus' scheme worked, he pushed his luck with King Minos one too many times. The end result, King Minos found out of Daedalus' betrayals and Daedalus, once again, fled. Daedalus found favor with the king of Sicily. King Minos hunted Daedalus, but in the end, it was Daedalus who lived a satisfied and rich life.

Orestes did not feel lucky when the god Apollo forced him into making a choice about proceeding with the punishment of death upon his mother for murdering his father. Orestes was trapped in a precarious situation. On the one hand if Orestes disobeyed Apollo he could be made to go mad by the god. But if Orestes killed his mother, he would be haunted by the witch-like furies. Orestes weighed his options and chose not to go against Apollo.

Orestes fulfilled his deed. With his mother dead at his own hands, the furies wrath descended. But luck as well as justice was on Orestes side. Orestes fell into despair and sought the help of the goddess Athene, who is the goddess of justice. Athene weighed Orestes predicament and felt pity for him. After all, the curse was not any of Orestes doing as it was handed down through generations. Through Athene's divine justice, everything was made right and Orestes was free.

To often, when we are faced with life' s challenges, we will "shut down" emotionally, and choose to either ignore or avoid the problem.

Maybe you had an Apollo in your life who forced you to take action and take your life back. I know after many of these stagnant periods in my life, I can look back and thank the Universe for the opportunity given to me by "pushy" people, so I would take action instead of wallow in my depression. After the dilemma was over, I was a stronger person. I was free of the fear to not act on my behalf.

One of my favorite tarot decks is the Mythic Tarot, by Juliet Sharman-Burke and Liz Greene. Purchased nearly eighteen years ago, and even after all these years of use, the cards are still in great shape. The book's condition, however, is another story. Its pages, long ago unhooked from the spine, are underlined, dog-eared, highlighted (in three different colors!), and yellowed

Desperate times called for desperate searching, and over my lifetime, I've ran into quite a few bumps in the road. I self-taught myself the tarot so when I laid out a spread seeking clarification to the challenge I faced at the time, I studied the book.

I related to the Greek myths. There was a compelling story with every card suit that I could relate about my hardships. (As you probably guessed, I received A LOT of sword and pentacle cards!)

The suit of swords is represented by Orestes and the House of Artreus. Orestes is a young man trapped in the middle of a family curse, a selfish and arrogant father, and a revengeful mother. Throw in a ticked off goddess and a Greek god who made it Orestes job to avenge the murder of Orestes' father, and you have one sad, confused, threatened kid. Orestes agonized over his fate and decided to do what most of us who've been through the emotional wringer do, and that was to do nothing. But, as in real life, those of us going through a similar stalemate, are sometimes kick-started into action by an outside source.

Picture yourself as the Fool at the Tarot. In this case a Fool isn't someone stupid or immature; a Fool in the Tarot means innocence. See his happy face, untouched by the disappointments of life and ready to embrace everything that comes his way. Take this part for yourself. Then, as you progress through the cards let the journey become your story.

Write down what is happening as you travel through the Major Arcana. Let your imagination run wild. This could be your own personal story or you might publish it and see it become a best seller. You are limited only by your own imagination.
Spread out the other 56 Tarot cards. As you journey they become your warehouse. This is where you go to get the supplies you need for different stages of your adventure.

Do you need the Wealth of Pentacles, or the passion of cups? Will you meet a king? Do you need weapons or inspiration? Again let your imagination run wild and free.

By the end of your journey and you will be sorry to see it end, you will have an intimate knowledge of the Tarot cards. You will have sympathy and understanding surpassing by far anything a book or tutorial can possibly give you.

Tarot cards contain, within the symbolism of each card, all of the possible experiences of life. Each card acts like a sentence. Many possible meanings lie in a sentence taken out of context, it's only when we read the whole paragraph that it makes sense. The whole paragraph, in Tarot terms, is the way the cards are arranged during a reading. This is called a spread. For those who feel that trying to learn the various meanings of each card is a daunting task, here is a fun and exciting way to learn the Tarot.

The Tarot deck consists of 56 suit cards; unlike the deck of playing cards that we are familiar with tarot has four court cards to a suit, King, Queen, Knight and page. There are also 22 cards that are not associated with any suit. These are commonly referred to as the Major Arcana. Separate these cards from the deck. You will note that each one is numbered. The first card, numbered zero, is the Fool.

This is where the Tarot begin

Look at the Fool. He seems to be walking to the edge of a cliff. Is he? Or is he walking alongside? Is he walking or dancing? He has a sack on a stick over his shoulder, what is in it? There's a dog in the picture, is the dog playing, attacking, or warning him about the cliff? Think about these questions as you look at the next card number 1, the Magician.

The Magician stands behind a table with items on a cloth. Is the cloth the Fool's sack? Are the items on the table what was in the sack? Has the Fool now become the Magician? This is where the fun begins.

Introduction to the Major Arcana

There are 22 cards in the Major Arcana

Cards 1-7:
It deals with who we are, what we are or can be, what we deal with in our material, physical world; our virtues, our vices,our secret wishes and desires.

Cards 8-14:
Different forces , energies, influences encountered in our journey through life coming from the environment and at times not entirely under our control

Cards 15-21:
What is meant to be will be, cosmic influences to face influence and energy offered if we but take heed.

Card 0 or 22:
The Fool is a part of all the Major Arcana cards It joins together all the other cards of the Major Arcana in the spiritual journey

References:
Pictorial Key to the Tarot by Arthur Waite
Pictures from the Heart by Sandra A. Thomson
Legend Tarot, Keeper of the Words by Anna-Marie Ferguson
Templar Tarot by Daria Kelleher
Rider-Waite Tarot

It offers a different perspective on life, what is it we're searching for, which path to take, and always, it reminds us that we are all part of this universe. No matter how tough the battle is, most of the answers lie deep within, if only we stop to listen.

Tarot is more than just a deck of cards. The artwork ranges from fascinating, inspiring, awesome, sublime, to the ludicrous, ridiculous, and even gruesome. This is the true beauty of the tarot - it allows one to express one's fascinations, deep stirrings of one's soul, encourage the psyche, the imagination to explore one's fanaticism, one's fantasies and reveal beliefs, hopes and dreams as well as frustrations and fears.

The Major Arcana of the tarot depict images, characters that convey insights, messages, with a clarity that delve deep into the soul. It reveals the shadows, the secret longings or pain, fears as well as hopes, may even point to possibilities one has never thought of.
As one tarot writer puts it, it shows the keys, choose which door each key fits. As in real life, isn't it a wonder what makes a person tick?

For some people the attraction to the tarot lies in the seductive allure of divining the future. For others it is less complex simply the collecting of beautifully crafted tarot decks. Perhaps most widespread of all is the quest to better understand ourselves. The cards allow a reader a means to self examine that few other avenues offer. By studying a spread of cards and seeing what they may mean, the reader may see an alternative view of his or her life but more importantly they may see an alternative view of themselves. Such self examination is never a bad thing.

In doing a reading one can ask "what is my role in this issue?" or "how can I best resolve xxx?" Such questions are rarely bad questions to ask. The resulting answers give insight which may be far more valuable than mere divination.

By opening the window of our imagination, through the use of images and symbols, we are able to take an alternative view of our present, our past, and also our future. The cards encourage this. It should be no surprise that the psychologist Carl Jung found tarot cards to be a valuable resource. Once we are able to reach into our imagination and unlock some of the subconscious influences we have, the way we perceive our reality can shift radically.

A typical reading may provide such an alternative view. This can happen in much the same way as one might go to a friend and explain a situation, looking for good advice about what to do next. Equally, one can listen to that advice or discard it. Either way, we make our own decisions. We live our own lives. The cards can help us see alternatives and give us new perspectives, but ultimately we are masters of our own destiny.

Tarot cards offer the reader a chance to glimpse into the future in an unusual personal ritual. However, the stereotype of a gypsy divining the future is not where Tarot begins or ends. It is merely one aspect to a complex and diverse world.

Tarot offers choices upon which decisions can be based. Add to this the application of numerology, astrology, the tree of life for those who study and understand this subject. The possibilities are endless.

Although shrouded in mystery, Tarot is rich in symbolism, geometric patterns, colors, angels, animals, mythological images. The many colorful decks available today are themed with various images, from the classic Rider Waite deck to the colorful oracle type decks such as the Faerie Oracle. The most popular cards share a common theme. They inspire the reader's imagination. This really is where the value of tarot lies.

Most decks echo the rich symbolism of the Rider Waite deck, being variations of that theme. These decks inevitably reflect the values and times which they grew from - a Victorian England. Many images in the Rider Waite deck refer to a medieval European view of the world, as interpreted by the Victorian authors of the deck. Some more modern decks offer themes which may be more relevant to the reader, dependant on their own cultural standpoint.