What to do with an incomplete Tarot deck?



After coming home from a recent New Age fair where I did Tarot readings for the public, I discovered that one card was missing from my favorite deck. Maybe it got lost as I gathered my things together, or maybe it simply fell on the floor during a reading. When I came home the card was missing which made me very sad as this deck and I have a long history together. I didn't feel like putting the deck in a drawer and just forgetting about it, so I sat down and meditated on what to do with it and a few things came to mind.

First of all many who read Tarot cards are also somewhat interested in Tarot Magic and for most spells you won't need a complete deck. If you still have the Aces left, you can make a simple protective spell for instance (and if one Ace is missing, it can be substituted by a ten of the same suit). A simple protective spell is to take the aces from the deck and nail them tothe wall (behind a painting or a poster if you will) in the cardinal points of your house or apartment. The cards connect with the cardinal points as indicated below. Making a small or elaborate ritual with candle lighting, incense etc is purely optional. Use a small compass to find the directions.

Wands - south
Cups - west
Swords - east
Pentacles - north

Another idea is, to use the remaining cards for meditation. No card is better or worse for this; any and all cards have something to tell us. Meditating on each individual cards for about 15 minutes at a time, is something we all need to take time for. One idea is to place the deck at your bedside and then draw a card before going to sleep. Looking at it intently and really placing yourself in the situation of the card and noting every detail. Be sure to keep a dream book beside your bed for jotting down notes of dreams immediately after waking up. This can give insights about the cards themselves as well as give insights about your lives and daily situations.

To do this in the way suggested by the order of the Golden Dawn, you would want to order your deck starting with the Major Arcana, and then Wands from Aces to Kings. Following Wands, would be Cups, then Swords and to end with the King of Pentacles. Note where your missing card is and make a special meditation on what you remember of the details of this missing card, what day you reach it and what it might mean to you on this day.

Another fun thing to do might be to take a piece of cardboard and make a new card either from drawing or clipping pictures and gluing as a collage. That way your deck would be complete again, and you would have a first take on how to make your own deck!

Most important of all is to refrain from throwing the deck away. Not only does a wellused Tarot deck deserve a nice burial or burning, not the trashbag, but chances are that the missing card will turn up after being lost for a long time. These lost cards always have something to tell us, so some special interest and studying of this card is of probably great importance in your life at this time. Nothing happens just for no reason so think about the butterfly effect and study all aspects of the missing card.

Bright Blessings,
© Rev.Genuine 2004