The following is the Introduction to The Pieces of You Tarot: Illuminating the Archetypes Within by Jim Larsen, available at Amazon.com.

Introduction To The Pieces of You Tarot by Jim Larsen

I don’t care to use tarot cards to divine the future. I’ll know the future when I catch up to it.  The future never disappears. It’s always just ahead, slightly out of reach. When we get there, we don’t even notice it because suddenly it is “now.” So what’s the point of trying to figure it out when it’s always changing anyway? Just relax and let it unfold as it will.

I prefer, instead, to use tarot cards to gleam understandings of people. This includes myself. I have learned much about myself through tarot cards. I have learned what a Fool I am, willing to take leaps of faith that others will probably never understand. I have learned that I am a powerful Magician, able to draw to myself that which I desire, even when the odds of doing so are profoundly against me. I have learned that I am a Hermit whose Star shines brightly as I meditate and go within to find my talents, skills, and power. I have learned that am more King of Wands than King of Swords, as I am more passionate about my creative pursuits than my intellectual endeavors. I have come to appreciate the Three of Swords and the pain it carries without taking it personally. I have come to honor every aspect of myself as represented by the cards, and that is the purpose of this book, to encourage you to do the same.

Think about it, every tarot card represents a piece of who we all are. When you understand all these pieces, you understand yourself. You understand others. You understand the human race, the human condition, and simple human  nature. As you discover these aspects of yourself, so too will you see them reflected in others. You will start to notice their tarot personalities and what their dominate archetypes are, and in so doing, better predict what to expect from them.

A tarot card can remind you of an intrinsic quality that you possess. As you look at a card reflect on its qualities and see these resonating in yourself. For example, take a look at the Fool card. Consider the Fool’s spontaneity and faith in itself. Consider its ability to take a leap of faith into some complete unknown, confident it will land on its feet, undaunted by the mystery of its new environment. Where in you do these qualities exist? Are they on the surface, or are they buried deep inside somewhere, forgotten or barely touched?

Consider the Strength card as another example. Where in yourself is the ability to face any challenge? Where is your ability to take on the weight of the world without being crushed by it? Where is your ability to endure attacks to your status-quo and your ego without taking it personally? These are qualities that sometimes need to be developed. How willing re you to work on them?

Take the Empress as one last example. Examine her ability to love and care for others without conditions. Do you judge those that you love for their faults and weaknesses, or do accept them as they are?  Is it important for you to know that they are well provided for and that they have what they need to prosper? These are the hallmarks of a well developed inner Empress.

Don’t expect every archetype to resonate with you. As you read this book, you may discover that some do not feel like a piece of you at all.You may ask yourself, “What is the author talking about? That’s not me.” This is to be expected. Some pieces of you are dormant. They have not been activated. To live the life you are meant to live, and to achieve what you are meant to achieve, the necessary aspects of your self have been ignited. These are the pieces of you that will carry to where you need to be. The ones that remain dormant, while still a part of the overall you, are not essential to your life’s mission, at least not yet. When needed, they will awaken. Chances are, you will experience at least a whisper of each during the course of your life.

 To get the most from this book, read it with the intention of gleaming insights into yourself. Read it with the intention of gleaming insights into others. That is what this book is. It is a book of insights. It is meant to open windows to the multitude of personality types that exist in the human race. As you read this book, and as you delve  into tarot with your own private practice, reflect on how each archetype is represented inside of yourself. Who do you know who exemplifies the essence of any particular archetype?

When somebody is a constant downer, you may say that this person is a real Nine of Swords, always looking for something to complain and cry about. Or, maybe you know somebody who is always happy and cheerful. You may say of them that they are a Three of Cups. You may also know somebody who is very inquisitive and always asking questions. You could say of them that they are a true Page of Swords. The list goes on.

For your own self, you may be going through a difficult time and are wondering how it will all turn out. In times like that, you may say you are having a Moon experience, and you can’t wait for the cycle of the moon to turn so that you have clarity. You may be facing fears or dealing with buried emotions that have come to surface and are now causing you distress. In such times, you may say you are dealing with the Devil. You may be having the best day of your life, where you simply feel great and never want the day to end. During a day like that, you may say you enjoying your time in the Sun.

This is the beauty of tarot. It gives us a language by which to describe human nature in all its variations. It gives us metaphors to help us make sense of who, what, and how we all are. It reminds us of our oneness, our similarities and our differences. It lets us examine our strengths and our weaknesses. As you read this book, ask yourself which archetypes represent your strengths? Ask yourself too, which qualities would you like to develop? Once identified, you can begin the task of working on those.

The tarot is divided into two major types of cards known as the major and the minor arcana. You may be asking if there is a difference between the major arcana pieces of yourself and the minor arcana. The answer is, yes. Think of the pieces of yourself represented by the major arcana as your divine aspects. These are the pieces that are intrinsically tied to your life’s purpose. They guide you through the obstacle course of your spirit’s journey towards enlightenment. They steer you in the direction to where you need to be and keep you track of what you should be doing to get the most out of your life.

The pieces of yourself represented by the minor arcana, on the other hand, represent your earthly, day to day life. These are your highs and lows, your joys and your disappointments, the fruits of your labor, the reaping of what you have sown, and the ideas and the inspirations that come your way. These are the building blocks of the content of your character, and the sum total of what life has made you. Your minor arcana pieces are what you become by both nature and nurture. The choices you make shape these aspects of yourself, as do your attitudes and beliefs. They are weakened and strengthened by how you handle yourself, relate to others, stand up to challenges, and appreciate the good things.

To see and appreciate tarot as pieces of yourself gives you power. You are taking control over your own destiny by strengthening those aspects of yourself that you feel will benefit you to strengthen, and to maybe back off some on those aspects of yourself that you feel are negative and keeping you from being the best you can be. To use tarot solely to divine your future is to deny the true power of tarot and your own true power as well. Create your own future. Do it by setting your intention on what you want, identifying and activating the piece of yourself that can help you get it, and going for it unrelentingly until you achieve it. — Jim Larsen

BUY THE PIECES OF YOU TAROT: ILLUMINATING THE ARCHETYPES WITHIN