How does one use a majors-only deck?

[cuileann]

I'm a relative newbie, and I don't quite understand why a deck would be majors only, or how one would use such a deck. Nonetheless, I now own one, because I couldn't resist the art!

 

Any thoughts, musings, answers welcome!

Edited May 5, 2021 by cuileann

[HOLMES]

The main thing to realize every card is a major force while in the minors  you have more stuff that deals with mundane events. The only major deck i had was the lovers tarot. 

Just use it sparingly would my advice for like a fools journey spread. 

[katrinka]

I tend to treat them like a full pack: just ask a question and draw. People like Wirth apparently considered the Majors alone sufficient. 😉
And I've read that Continental readers tend to separate the Majors and Minors when reading anyway. So if you read playing cards, Lenormand, or similar, you can put a supplemental small draw of Majors on the side. 
Whatever you do, I think it's important not to constantly view them as life-altering, especially in this situation. The Majors may be weightier in contrast with the Minors, but in actual practice, they can and do refer to regular, day-to-day events.

[legendaryelement]

You can search for “majors only tarot spread” and many blog posts will come up.

https://beingdoingtarot.com/tarot-major-arcana-only-reading/

 

https://www.biddytarot.com/major-arcana-tarot-spreads/

 

http://www.tabulamundi.com/tabula-mundi-tarot-major-arcana-only-decks-and-how-to-use-them/

[TheLoracular]

The only Major Arcana tarot I own is the H.R. Giger Tarot and I've never actually done divination with it.  I got it back in the early 90s during my "goth phase" for basically that same reason:  I liked the art and what looking at it provoked for me.   I still pull it out and admire it for its... alieness... sometimes XD  

I have done Major only readings though with other decks, either for something Qabalistic and a path on the Tree of Life (because each Major Arcana can be linked to one of the 22 paths) or looking for specific archetypes for myself or a querent.   Most of these Major-only readings have been just 1 card draws, 3 at most but I think there's a lot more in those links @legendaryelement provided which are great resources.

[JudyReadsCards]

12 hours ago, katrinka said:

I tend to treat them like a full pack: just ask a question and draw... 

[I]t's important not to constantly view them as life-altering... in actual practice, they can and do refer to regular, day-to-day events.

 

This. ☝

I have an old fortune telling deck that's only 12 cards. If it's possible for someone to read with that, 22 cards should pose no difficulty. 🙂

[katrinka]

1 hour ago, JudyReadsCards said:

 

This. ☝

I have an old fortune telling deck that's only 12 cards. If it's possible for someone to read with that, 22 cards should pose no difficulty. 🙂

 

Well hello! 😁

Yes, and there's only 24 runes, and a lot of them are associated with gods. But you can consult them about anything. 
And there are those witch's runes, there's only 13 of those. But they work.
12 cards would work. It's only when you go way down - maybe to a binary system like a coin flip - that you lose accuracy, IME. 

[Guest]

90 % of the tarot readings I do are with the 21 trumps and Fool cards. These cards do not need to be seen as archetypes or such like. They can be events and mundane.
 

I don’t see these cards are major or more important than the pips. 

[devin]

42 minutes ago, timtoldrum said:

90 % of the tarot readings I do are with the 21 trumps and Fool cards. These cards do not need to be seen as archetypes or such like. They can be events and mundane.
 

I don’t see these cards are major or more important than the pips. 

 

Same here. But with the addition of the aces, as I find they add some extra perspectives to a reading. 

 

In fact, I must start readings with pips again, don't want to get too rusty. 🤔

Edited May 6, 2021 by devin

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, devin said:

Same here. But with the addition of the aces, as I find they add some extra perspectives to a reading. 

 

In fact, I must start readings with pips again, don't want to get too rusty.

True. I know others that add the aces and courts.

 

I’m having a break from tarot right now. But I do enjoy an occasional pip or two as a treat lol

[HOLMES]

2 hours ago, timtoldrum said:

90 % of the tarot readings I do are with the 21 trumps and Fool cards. These cards do not need to be seen as archetypes or such like. They can be events and mundane.
 

I don’t see these cards are major or more important than the pips. 

 

I wonder if it is that language thing again. For what i understand lots of book on the marseille when over here for years i thought the marseilles was an ancient dead tarot. Then over the years learned differntly. 

I think it every english tarot book always divided up the major and minor. With emphasis on major over minor

 

I supposed aftet reading your post imagining myself access to only 22 cards i would read for mundane events. Probably only 3 cards spreads ? 

Ohh  i found i was starting to read my tarot as combos more, i dislike the book on tarot combos though. 

 

I do have a couple of major only majors book.living the tarot, the rabbis tarot, the christian tarot (exact  name escapes me )

 

 

 

[Guest]

24 minutes ago, HOLMES said:

I think it every english tarot book always divided up the major and minor. With emphasis on major over minor

Most Anglo-American literature is derivative, yes. There was, however, greater diversity in the earlier part of the 20th century. 

 

But these days, so many believe that the Smith-Waite was/is standard. So they follow a model laid out by Eden Grey. There was never a standard tradition.

Edited May 6, 2021 by Guest

[cuileann]

Wow! I'm still getting a feel for this site and this is amazing already. Thank you all so much for your interesting and illuminating replies - much appreciated.