You might want to center yourself and prepare for the task at hand with a few moments of quiet meditation or grocery shopping for the delectable ingredients you will need.

Before you actually begin working with the cards, cleanse the kitchen thoroughly. Wipe the countertops, sweep the floor, and envision a protective white light surrounding you. You should also wash your hands.

Cook in a kitchen free from interruptions and distractions. Many cooks like to work with an assistant, but it's best to clear the room of additional bystanders. Too many cooks can spoil the soup.

Some cooks like to hum, listen to music, or leave the radio on while they work. Candles, fresh flowers, tablecloths, and crystal can also enhance the dinnertime mood.

Shuffle the Epicurean Tarot deck thoroughly while concentrating on your most pressing hunger or culinary demands. If you're cooking with someone else, he or she should also mix the cards while focusing on an upcoming meal or snack.

Use your intuition, your "gut sense," as a guide when you pull recipe cards from the deck. Set them on a counter or shelf where nothing will spill on them.

Most cooks try to avoid reading reversed cards, With every card in an upright position, ingredients can be assembled in the order they will be used and instructions can be clearly understood.

Follow the step-by-step directions outlined on each card, making substitutions and taking shortcuts only if you feel comfortable doing so.

Avoid negative interpretations. Granted, you might use too much salt. You might burn the roast. You might even start a small kitchen fire. But remember, there is good and bad in every ingredient, in every chef, and in every hungry person who comes to your table. As the cook, it's your job to find the proper balance. Maintain a positive attitude and speak well of your work. It will make mealtime more pleasant for everyone.

Once you have finished cooking, you might want to make notes on the cards for your records. Then put the deck away. Some cooks put the cards in order. Some seal the deck by placing favorite recipes on the top and sliding all of the cards into a zippered plastic bag. Some wrap their cards in cloth napkins or place them in a special wooden recipe box, traditionally stored above head level, to protect the cards from unwelcome psychic vibrations as well as grease splatters.

Use the Epicurean Tarot for active meditation on the cards. The very act of cooking a meal — the repetitive peeling, chopping, mixing, and stirring — can help put you in a contemplative state and open you to new insights.

Use the Epicurean Tarot to better understand the traditional tarot. If you're unsure of the meaning of any tarot card, prepare the dish suggested by the Epicurean Tarot. As you do, imagine that you're making that dish with or for the figures depicted on the card. Talk freely, ask questions, and offer ideas, just as you would with any guest in your kitchen.

As you study individual tarot cards, prepare their corresponding recipes and imbue yourself with their essence.

Prepare a magical meal designed to attract the qualities you like best in a card, whether you want to develop those qualities in yourself or draw people with those qualities closer to you.

Host a tarot pot luck, and invite friends to prepare dishes based on their favorite tarot cards.

Throw a progressive dinner party, in which you and your friends each prepare a tarot dish. Travel from kitchen to kitchen, eating your way through the entire deck.

Choose your favorite recipes from the Epicurean Tarot, as well as recipes for foods that you avoid. What do the corresponding tarot cards say about your lifestyle? Do you follow a balanced diet? Do you eat too much of any one food? Are you nourishing both body and soul? Or are you starving your very spirit?

As you look through the Epicurean Tarot, think about the images and symbols on each card, and come up with additional recipes that have significance and meaning for you.