This question can be difficult to say definitely because Tarot means so many different things to so many different people today. 

To some, it is experienced as a tool for divination and fortune-telling. To others, it is a collection of archetypes that help us in meditation and spiritual discovery. 

I like to see it a few different things. An oracle… a book of wisdom in a deck of cards… and a pictographic diagram of our inner consciousness. Thus, this was the intention that went into creating Patch Tarot.

Tarot is what you make it to be. If you open yourself up to discovering new aspects, you might even find yourself changing your perspective quite often, the more you familiarize yourself with the cards. 

When Tarot was first invented, it was a card game, or at least, this is the evidence that we have today about Tarot’s origin. There are still some curious speculations that suggest that Tarot goes back much, much before than the middle ages.

That said, when I was producing Patch Tarot, “card game” was not on my mind. I wanted to create a tool for the evolution of consciousness. However, since publishing the deck, it has crossed my mind to try traditionally playing Patch Tarot that it was first used for back in the 14th century.

Today, you can find instructions on how to play the Tarot game, often called “Tarocchi” on the internet. I intend that in a future edition of The Book of Patch, we will include instructions on how to play Tarocchi in addition to all of its other spiritual uses.

Arcana is a latin word that translates to “secrets” and essentially describes that within the Tarot are many secrets for us to learn and discover, related to the different aspects of our being, and the universe around us.

Every Tarot deck will come with the intention and awareness of the one who produced it in the first place. In the case of Patch Tarot, I intended to create a Spirit Science Tarot to support and uplift the evolution of consciousness.

What makes Patch Tarot unique is that it was not modeled after a single previous Tarot deck, but observed many of the most prominent Tarot decks available, such as the Rider Waite Smith, Thoth Tarot, and even the classic Tarot de Marseilles, and unified many of the meanings of the cards together into a Tarot that could stand to become “the Evolution of Tarot.”

I found that many of the symbols and ideas in the previous generations of Tarot, especially that of the Rider Waite Smith and Marseille Tarot’s, were created in an era of extreme Christian dominance. Therefore, many of the symbols and ideas found within these cards bore a great deal of Christian ideology and symbology.

My intention then was to take the core ideas of these cards and symbols and to open them up to be more universal. Not removing the Christian symbols, but incorporating other spiritual traditions and practices to create a balance and reverence for all of the spiritualities of the world.

Ultimately though, to honestly answer the question of “How is Patch Tarot different,” it must be experienced for you to know truly. I recommend doing a Tarot reading with Patch Tarot, and another deck of your choosing, and compare how the reading and the experience is for yourself.

When I was creating Patch Tarot, I set the intention that these cards would be created with love and benevolent purposes and carry no ill intentions or harmful energies within it. This is reinforced by the sacred “Holy Arcana,” which serve as protective guardians for the higher resonance of the deck.

What we must come to learn and understand, and which Patch Tarot itself teaches, is that everything is connected. We must realize that often, when we believe we are conjuring spirits, we are merely calling forth another aspect of ourselves that has yet to be integrated into our whole selves. 

We learn this by the ancient spiritual teaching that there is only ONE Spirit that moves through all things, which we may refer to as “ALL.” 

That said, I would say just as a hammer was designed to build, doesn’t mean that it cannot also be used to smash and break things. Understand that if you use Patch Tarot with the intent to summon spirits and entities, what you will receive in response will not be what you thought. In the end, you will receive a lesson, for learning is in the heart of these cards. 

Reverse cards have long since been a point of discussion and often disagreement among Tarot readers. It can mean everything from “the opposite” of its upright meaning, to “the extreme” version of its upright meaning. Some people make up meaning on the spot if they don’t know what it means, and others suggest it’s an “internal” version of the card, where the upright meaning is the “external.”

While producing Patch Tarot, I wanted to find a standard meaning of reversals that could be applied to all of the cards, and not be confusing. While studying Qabalah, I came across the Qliphoth, which are described sometimes as the “negative” states of the spheres on the Tree of Life. 

Diving into the Qliphoth taught me a lot about the nature of evil, where evil comes from, and how to transmute it into its benevolent forces, and thus, this became the essential nature of the reversals. It’s not that they are describing evil, but rather that the energy is moving in the wrong direction (or has the potential to at least), and it’s up to us to learn how to correct the flow and harmonize with nature in a benevolent way. 

Normally, a Tarot deck has 78 cards. However, during the creation of Patch Tarot, originally there were 4 additional cards created as a result of completing the Major Arcana, and expanding the final card into a sequence. Following “The Crown”, we have a sequence progressively zooming out, showing the ascension process for our us, our planet, and harmonizing with the entire universe. 

Originally, this was done as a slight nod to Thoth Tarot, which originally came out with 3 Magician cards, which each wove together in a bit of a riddle for those who sought to make sense of them. 

In Patch Tarot, these four additional cards were going to be 5 “universe/world” cards; however, as the deck progressed, my insights told me these needed to become something new, related to the four hidden places on the Tree of Life. 

We have multiple resources for learning more about the Tarot through the use of Patch Tarot. Included in the checkout of this offer is a chance to upgrade and purchase our online course, Tarot Life Mastery, which will embark you on a journey to learn about the tarot and how to utilize it very efficiently. 

This course is also offered to our subscription members. More information on our  membership opportunities can be found Here.

If you'd like to check out the Tarot Life Mastery page to learn more before purchasing, please visit this link Here.

A part of Spirit Mysteries is called Spirit Family, the community center that connects spiritual seekers from around the world to share and learn and grow together. 

Here there is a place not just to discuss Tarot, but all forms of spirituality, science, and life experiences. It is the best way to connect with others on this path, and make the most of your spiritual education! 

Within the school we have multiple resources for learning tarot together including a daily study group that meets up on our private Discord Server!

You can join the community at SpiritMysteries.com