Many psychics who work with us classify themselves as "card readers," This type of reader uses a deck of cards to guide him or her through a session with a client. These cards generally are printed with an image that carries a meaning that helps inform the psychic of the client's life situation, depending upon where the card falls in the "spread," or pattern in which the cards are laid out. While the images on the cards do impart meaning, this method of psychic reading is not just a matter of memorization for the reader. A talented psychic uses the cards as simply a tool to "bridge the gap," i.e. make the connection to the client psychically. His or her psychic gifts then are used to give context to the information in the cards and to make that information specific and relevant to the client's life.
There are many different varieties of cards used by psychics. The most well known is, of course, the tarot. Tarot cards have a history of usage spanning hundreds of years throughout Europe and have long been used in the U.S. The images on these decks have been adapted by numerous people and cultures resulting in decks that are specific to the readers' personal preferences and aesthetic tastes. While the Rider-Waite deck is considered by most in the U.S. as the standard, there are decks done in styles ranging from Italian Renaissance art to contemporary comic books. There are decks that feature images of cats for the cat lover and gemstones for those who respond to stone energy. Even with all of these different types of tarot decks, these types of cards generally have images that, card for card, have the same meanings. In other words, the two of swords in The Faerie Tarot has the same meaning as the two of swords in the Crow's Magick Tarot.
A deck of tarot cards is divided into two major divisions called the Major and Minor Arcana. The Minor Arcana is then divided into four separate suits; these are (usually) described as the Cups, the Swords, the Pentacles, and the Rods (or Staves). Each suit has a progression, from aces to kings, similar to those found in a deck of playing cards. The Minor Arcana tend to reveal information about worldly matters such as finances and career, love and family, and health. The Major Arcana tend to deal with less mundane issues, such as your spiritual development on your progression through your Life Path. These cards are not divided into suits, and display images such as the Wheel of Fortune or the Magician.
Every card reader uses a layout of their own choosing. So cards may be laid out differently from reader to reader. The placement of the cards within this pattern helps the reader interpret each one. From there, the reader's psychic abilities come into play, as they determine how the meaning of the card is to be understood within the context of the client's own life.
In addition to tarot cards, there are other types of cards that are based on a completely distinct system from tarot and are read and interpreted differently. These cards are generally not divided into the Major and Minor Arcana and often do not have suits. Some examples of the cards are angel card decks, cards based on the Australian natives' songlines, and animal totem cards. These cards, like tarot, have images that represent specific meanings, and generally show the influence of the idea of the image represented upon the client's life. For example, in the Oracle of the Dreamtime cards, the images on the cards are those of animals that, to the indigenous Australian culture, embody a "path" the client must "walk." In other words, each card shows trends or obstacles that the client can expect in their life. This sort of reading can help the client find their best career or life path or figure out how to get their life "back on track."