How to Play 1JJ Swiss Tarot Cards

The 1JJ Swiss Tarot Cards contain 78 cards, consisting of the Major Arcana (22 cards) and Minor Arcana (56 cards). Tarot cards are similar to regular playing cards, with the addition of an extra court card for each suit and a set of themed cards (Major Arcana). Tarot cards are used in meditation and divination. The 1JJ Swiss Tarot is a variation of an older style of tarot deck, the Marseilles deck, which contains 19th century images in blocks of primary colors. The "JJ" in the name stands for "Jupiter" and "Junon" who are depicted in the Major Arcana. The 1JJ Swiss Tarot is not as ornate or enriched with metaphysical imagery as some popular tarot decks such as the Rider-Waite (Coleman Smith) or the Thoth (Crowley Harris) tarot. It was translated from the French and its design incorporates classic symbols that are used for interpretation.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Understanding the Major Arcana

1. Separate the tarot deck into two piles: Major Arcana and Minor Arcana. The Major Arcana are identified by Roman numerals at the top, including zero and contain a title for the figure (such as The Fool). Set the stack of Minor Arcana cards aside.

2. Arrange the Major Arcana in numerical order, from zero to 21. Observe the titles of the cards and the primary image on each card. Card 3 is the Roman goddess Junon (High Priestess position); card 6 is the Roman god Jupiter (Hierophant position).

3. Check the order of the Major Arcana (especially if the cards are in French): Fool, Magician, Junon, Empress, Emperor, Jupiter, Lovers, Chariot, Justice, Hermit, Wheel of Fortune, Strength, Hanged Man, Death, Temperance, Devil, Tower, Star, Moon, Sun, Judgment, World.

Understanding the Minor Arcana

4. Organize your stack of Minor Arcana cards according to suit and in numerical order: Each of the four suits contain 14 cards. Stack each suit side by side.

5. Identify the suits by name and primary symbol: Batons are Wands, Coupes are Cups, Epees are Swords, Deniers are Pentacles or Coins.

6. Identify the court cards in each suit: Roi is the King, Reine is the Queen, Chevalier is the Knight and Valet is the Page.

Play the Cards for Insight

7. Combine all stacks of cards and practice shuffling the oversize cards. Think of a specific question that you'd like to get insight about and concentrate exclusively on that question while shuffling the deck at least three times.

8. Divide the deck into three piles and then recombine the stacks, in a different order (for example, place the third stack on top, first stack in the middle and center stack on the bottom).

9. Lay out a total of six cards: center row of four cards, one card below the row and one card above the row. Observe the images on the cards and whether there is a predominance of one suit or set of images.

10. Evaluate each card in its position and what the card and images mean to you regarding your question: Center row from left to right: The past, current circumstances, and how the situation will evolve. Immediate future, bottom card: your resources and top card: outcome

Tips & Warnings

• Purchase or borrow a book on the meaning and symbolism of the tarot (specifically your deck) to identify and understand the images.
• The tarot is used for insight and understanding and is not a predictive tool because each of us can change our future.

References

• Aeclectic Tarot-1JJ Swiss Tarot Specifications

Resources

• US Games 1JJ Swiss Tarot Review