Tarot on the Tree of Life Workshop

“I wish I knew how to decipher all the symbols on my cards” is a common lament amongst tarot devotees! This tarot workshop introduces the structure of the Tree of Life, whereby every Major Arcana card fits onto a numbered path, associated with a Hebrew letter.

The Tree contains 10 centres of energy, called Sephiroth which can be linked to the numbered suits of cards in the tarot. These Sephiroth are joined by 22 energy paths which correspond with the 22 Major Arcana tarot cards and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet.

The Hermatic Order of the Golden Dawn formed in the late 1880’s, was responsible for collating, focusing and expanding on existing Western esoteric traditions to formalise this system including linkages between the Tree of Life, the tarot, the Hebrew letters, the human body and astrology. Many tarot decks contain symbols representing the astrology and/or letters associated with the cards. However some artists or designers of decks have taken it on themselves to “redesign” the paths, so care should be taken in following the symbols until they have been proven.

The date of birth gives valuable information about the lessons to be learnt in this lifetime. The path it corresponds to on the Tree, conveys a special message for us, amplified by its symbolic letter.

Likewise one’s name at birth reinforces the skills brought forward from previous lives, which will assist in your current development process. This is not to be confused with the Life Path number from numerology, or the astrological Sun Sign, as translated into a Major Arcana archetype.

The significance of these cards helps to make sense of the reasons we are really drawn to some cards in the deck and dislike or are repelled by others. This can sometimes mean the cards carry messages we are not particularly keen on hearing; in a similar manner to the parts of ourselves we are not ready to accept.

Come and have a fun afternoon finding your personal Major Arcana cards within the Tarot and understanding how they resonate with your life journey! Pick up some new ideas and take away some new tarot spreads, which will enable you to use your cards to obtain a different kind of information about your life.