A traditional tarot deck has 78 cards, so why would a person only use 22 of those 78 cards?
There are two major reasons; 1) it’s a good way to learn the archetypes and the relationship of the numbers, 2) it’s a good way to answer the essence of a spiritual or long term questions.
The Major Arcana cards tell a story that represents the stages along the journey towards self-awareness. The energy of these cards in a reading has a more profound impact than do the minor arcana. The major arcana draw from the collective unconscious represented by the archetype. Using the Major Arcana gives your reading an extra punch.
You can see the significance of using only the major arcana with a simple 3 cards spread. Think of an unresolved significant issue in your life. Pull a card that represents
1. You and the issue
2. The obstacle in the way to solving the issue
3. Your course of action to resolve the issue
When you only use the major each card is significant in a way that provides a depth of meaning beyond using both the major and minor arcana cards. There are some readers who only use the major arcana for every reading and there are several decks of only major arcana.
We are releasing a very limited number of major arcana Tarot of Empowerment decks at the end of 2014 or the beginning of 2015. I am offering workshops on using only the major arcana cards this fall. Please email me for information.