Quintessence

Quintessence, or Quint, in Tarot is not just an additional element of a spread but a powerful tool for revealing hidden aspects of a situation. This method involves extracting additional information from a layout through numerological analysis of the drawn cards.

The Quint represents the Major Arcana card, which carries the key answer to a question or reflects the main energy of the spread. It helps to better understand the situation and gain additional insight.

The term "quintessence" comes from the Latin "quinta essentia," meaning "fifth essence." In ancient Greek philosophy, quintessence was considered the fifth element, along with earth, water, air, and fire. This element represented a pure, perfect substance that celestial bodies were made of. In the context of Tarot, quintessence embodies the idea of extracting the very essence of a situation or question.

There are several methods for determining the quintessence in Tarot.

1. Add up the numbers of all cards in the spread:

Major Arcana: 1 to 22
Minor Arcana: 1 to 10
Court cards: Page = 11, Knight = 12, Queen = 13, King = 14

If the sum exceeds 22, continue adding the digits until you get a number between 1 and 22. For example, 78 → 7 + 8 = 15. The resulting number corresponds to the Major Arcana card, which is the quintessence of the spread.

For example, if the cards in the spread have numbers 10, 7, and 18:

10 + 7 + 18 = 35
3 + 5 = 8

The quintessence will be the VIII Arcana - Strength.

After formulating the question, name a number from 1 to 78. Count out the named number of cards in the deck - the selected card becomes the Quintessence of the spread.

Quintessence can be interpreted in several ways:

• As a separate card that provides additional insight.
• As the background energy of the entire spread.
• As a key to resolving a situation or answering a question.

• Only the Major Arcana can be Quints.

• The Minor Arcana are involved only in the calculation process but not in the final result.

• The Major Arcana can be interpreted both upright and reversed.

Quintessence in Tarot is a multifaceted tool that can significantly enrich the practice of a Tarot reader. It allows you to see hidden aspects of a situation and provides an additional level of understanding. However, it is important to remember that the Quint is only one of many elements in the art of Tarot interpretation and should be used in conjunction with other methods and, of course, intuition.