reading the cards with the grydscaen tarot

The grydscaen tarot deck is part of the grydscaen: hack the mainframe trading card game. The main deck cards function as a full tarot deck with Major Arcana cards and Minor Arcana which include the Suits of Coins, Swords, Wands and Cups. Currently have just finished revamping the tarot guidebook and wanted to share some of the new materials that are available from the guidebook.

grydscaen tarot guidebook (copyright 2018. Natsuya Uesugi)

The Major Arcana

The Major Arcana are the penultimate cards in the deck and have strong meanings relayed through images and characters displayed on the front of the cards. Cards have a face up and a reversed or upside down (reversed) meaning when drawn and placed in the spread. Review the card interpretations below.

Signatory Cards affect the outcome of the prophesy by influencing the reading. Ensure you understand the meaning of the signatory card and how it resonates with your energy. If you find that one particular card comes up when you chose a signatory, try to gain more insight into the card and how it revolves around your energy, your life, and those around you.

Major Arcana card meanings can be found in the grydscaen tarot guidebook

The Minor Arcana

The Coins suit represents the element of earth. It stands for practical skills and applied talents. It focuses on facts, results, perception and products. Astrological signs for the Coins suit include Taurus, Virgo and Capricorn. The Violet colour stands for: experiencing boundaries, heart, soul, and spirituality.

The Cups suit represents the element of water. These cards show the soul and the unconscious. They promote feelings, premonition and spirituality. Astrological signs for the Cups suit include: Scorpio, Cancer and Pisces. The Yellow colour represents: awareness, zest for life, and envy.

The Swords suit represents the element of air. They stand for mental energy, the mind, the consciousness, intellect and wisdom. The world of decisions, ideas and judgement are in these cards. Astrological signs for the Swords suit include: Libra, Aquarius and Gemini. The Green colour represents youth, promise, immaturity and freshness.

The Wands suit represents the element of fire. They stand for energy, assertion, creativity, productivity and growth. This suit involves actions, power and intentions. Astrological signs for the Wands suit include: Leo, Aries, and Sagittarius. The Orange colour represents: connections and solid grounding.

Minor Arcana card meanings can be found in the grydscaen tarot guidebook

Performing a Reading

Each card has an upright and reversed meaning. The reader will relay card meaning as they display the spread. Each card is related to a certain aspect of the querant and has a specific meaning based on the position in the spread. As the querant learns more insight into their question, the psychic reader or the querant, if reading for themselves, can ask and think about their feelings of a particular card to gain more insight. Walk through individual cards or read the whole spread then discuss emotions for further insight into relationship to the original question.

Laying Out the Tarot Cards in a Spread

There are many card spreads to choose from. Here are a few that you can use to help gain insight. Pick a spread and a Signatory card that represents you.Ask the Tarot your question as the querant shuffles and cuts the deck. Have the querant hold the cards infusing their energy into them. Pick cards off the top and lay them into the desired spread to provide insight into the question asked over the cards, sending energy to the universe to reveal your fortune.

Popular Card Spreads

single card spread

The single card spread allows you to get at the heart of the matter quickly by focusing on the source and yourself as the target of the reading. Use this spread for quick insights or do a daily reading to start your day off right.

about the single card spread: The singe card spread quickly gets to the heart of the issue be it past, present or future. Ask your question to the cards, shuffle and cut the deck mixing the cards, then pick your card, lay it out upside down, then turn it over face up to see what the universe speaking through the cards has in store for you.

three card spread

The three card spread: The three card spread provides insight into the past, the present and the future. Use this spread to reveal your current path and the effects of your past on future actions. Delve into your history and learn how your current and future actions are led or misled by what has come before.

about the three card spread
Cards are read as: 2-1-3 from left to right.
Card 1- Actual situation or present time
Card 2- Past or how it began
Card 3 – Future or what will be new

celtic cross spread

This traditional 10 card spread will give you in depth insight into your question and provide detail about current influences, the future and the past. How are factors in your life affecting the outcome? The crossed card in the middle of the spread is the obstacle that may be holding back the querant from achieving their personal future goal. Select the Significator of the person or thing for whom the inquiry is made. The Significator is the lens through which the reading is made. Place the Significator in the middle. Select the cards and lay them out in the design below using the detail on he next page to help read the cards.

about the celtic cross spread
Cards are read as: 2 covers 1 in the center,
3 above center, 4 below center,
5 to the left of center, 6 to the right of center,
7 to the far right
and 8-9-10 in order above 7 with 10 at the top

The meanings of the celtic cross spread card positions:
Card 1- Starting Point
Card 2- Crossed card, opposition/complement to 1
Card 3 – Chance, the conscious side of the issue
Card 4 – The Root, unconscious side of the issue
Card 5 – Past
Card 6 – Future
Card 7 – Inner strength, your internal attitude
Card 8 – Outside influences, your image to the world
Card 9 – Hopes and fears
Card 10 – Outcome, final goal, ultimate task

The ultimate goals of the celtic cross spread is to provide a complex divination into a question using the cards to channel the energy of the universe. The conscious and unconscious as well as the past and future are revealed . Your inner strengths and outer influences impact the later cards in the reading. Your hopes and fears which are shaped by the starting point and the opposition drive the outcome and final goal which is the ultimate revelation of a reading using the celtic cross spread.

tarot and the western zodiac

Each astrological sign and each planet has a specific Tarot card. Astrology and Tarot are all about discovering a problem, following from the start and driving to a solution. The symbolic language of astrology and the Tarot provide imaginative, intuitive and practical guidance for finding one’s own star. Just as astrology examines character and modes of behavior, so Tarot does with images and interpretations. The Tarot symbols bring evidence of self-awareness leading to the “star” we find in astrology. To layout the star for you follow the table below to align tarot cards with astrological signs (stars) and meditate on the meanings of the cards.

zodiac mapped to major arcana
Aries – The Emperor
Taurus – The Hierophant
Gemini – The Lovers
Cancer – The Chariot
Leo – Strength
Virgo – The Hermit
Libra – Justice
Scorpio – Death
Sagittarius – Temperance
Capricorn – The Devil
Aquarius – The Star
Pisces – The Moon

tarot and the planets

The relationship between Tarot and astrology is particularly apparent when we look to our star for guidance in our life’s journey. The planets bring insight into the universe and the energy that thrives and resides around us, through us, in us and above us. This energy fuels the lifeforce and the spiritual nature of our destiny. Each planet rules a Major Arcana card. Pulls Major Arcana cards based on your sun sign and astrological zodiac sign and meditate on the meaning of the cards and planet aligned with your birth (sun) sign.

planets mapped to major arcana
The Tower – Mars
The Empress – Venus
The Magician – Mercury
High Priestess – Moon
The Sun – Sun
Judgement – Pluto
Wheel of Fortune – Jupiter
The World – Saturn
The Fool – Uranus
Hanged Man – Neptune

tarot and japanese zodiac

about japanese and chinese astrology
Japan follows the Chinese astrological system divided into 12 signs (Rat, Ox Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Sheep, Monkey, Rooster Dog, Pig). Connected with the 12 year Jupiter cycle around the Sun, each year represents a different zodiac sign with related characteristics along with the 5 elements that affect the sign each year.

japanese zodiac signs
Rat – meticulous, intelligent, ambitious, practical
Ox – responsible, generous, jealous, stubborn
Tiger – courage, confidence, honest, selfish
Rabbit – sensitive, mannered, modest, shy
Dragon – noble, ambitious, ruthless, arrogant
Snake – wisom, empathy, honourable, indifference
Horse – pleasant, independent, cheerful, restless
Sheep – creative, generous, empathy, irresponsible
Monkey – versatile, witty, conceited, manipulative
Rooster – brave, loyal, hard-working, pretentious
Dog – honest, loyal, devoted, unpleasant
Boar (Pig) – social, honest, funny, lack self-discipline

japanese zodiac to western zodiac alignment
Rat – Sagittarius
Ox – Capricorn
Tiger – Aquarius
Rabbit – Pisces
Dragon – Aries
Snake – Taurus
Horse – Gemini
Sheep – Cancer
Monkey – Leo
Rooster – Virgo
Dog – Libra
Pig – Scorpio

I hope you liked this excerpt from the grydscaen tarot guidebook and will check back for more as we get the tarot deck and grydscaen RPG game finalized.

Happy Divination!