When I tell people I use the Tarot the majority of them start talking to me about fortune telling. Let’s face it, if Tarot or any other so called divination system saw a definitive future I would have brought my lottery ticket long ago.
It saddens me that so many people have this view of an ancient divination system that deserves a little more respect.
Let’s look at a definition of the word ‘divination’ first. Although one definition is to predict the future, another is to reveal occult knowledge. Occult means hidden and this definition is much more accurate to describe the workings of the Tarot.
The origins of the Tarot are shrouded in mysticism, folklore and myth. We don’t know if such a system was ever used in Ancient Egypt or China although some say it was. There are also suggested links between the Tarot and the Kabbalah (a mystical school of thought within Juadiasm) through shared numerology. We do know that playing cards became popular in Europe in the 15thcentury and a link between these and the Tarot is well documented.
Putting all this aside, the Tarot that we are all familiar with nowadays is the Rider Waite deck and the majority of decks available are based (although sometimes loosely) on this original deck which was first published in 1910.
Arthur Edward Waite was a scholar of occultism and a leading member of the Order of the Golden Dawn (a mystical order practising spiritual development and magical rituals). Although the illustrations were provided by occult student and artist Pamela Coleman-Smith they were drawn according to very precise instructions from Waite.
It is suggested that Waite could not pass on occult knowledge from the Order of the Golden Dawn to anyone that was not initiated into the order. Therefore he passed on the symbolism of such knowledge which would be available to those who were ready to understand it.
And that is the key to how we should be using the Tarot today: for ourselves and for readings that we provide to others.
Symbolism is a language much older and richer than any spoken language in the world today. It is the language of our subconscious and usually completely bypasses our conscious minds.
And this is the beauty of the Tarot: a potential that is overlooked by people wanting their fortunes told. You can address any issue with the Tarot. Any issue that is that can’t be resolved with the conscious mind. After all, if you have a problem and you can work it out logically and resolve it why would you get a pack of cards out anyway?
The Tarot is for use when you’ve exhausted those possibilities. When you need to reach further into the dark bits of your mind. When you need a different way of looking at things.
The Major Arcana of the Tarot (22 cards starting with The Fool and ending with The World) describes a life’s journey: the stages we all go through as we experience new things and build our wisdom. The Minor Arcana (56 cards split into suits that represent the elements of water, fire, air and earth) represent the nuances of different energies within our lives.
These cards are normally dealt into spreads or layouts of which there are many. The person being read will be thinking about the issue or situation that they need guidance on as they shuffle the cards before they are dealt.
As an example, let’s take a look at the card which is dreaded by most – Death.
If somebody was seeking guidance and they drew the Death card I would remind them that we live in a world where death is a part of life. Everyday we experience death in all its forms: our skin sheds, flowers die, trees shed their leaves.
I’d remind them that, in order to make space for the new we have to let something else go.
I’d ask them to think about what they may be holding onto which is stopping new energies, thoughts, feelings and things from coming into their lives.
I’d ask them to face the worse possible outcome of their current situation. What is the worst thing that could possibly happen if they took this action or didn’t take that action? How would that feel?
Which leads us to the second important point that keeps Tarot real: you still have to take action. There is no point in giving over all your power to the message of the cards!
“My reading said that a man would come into my life in two months’ time and he would be my soul mate.” Well, he’s not going to show up in your life if you stay at home plucking your eyebrows and waxing your bikini line to get ready for him. You have to get out there and give him the opportunity to find you.
So, following on from exploring your options and using the symbolism of the cards to bring fresh ideas to a situation, you have to take inspired action too. Because, whatever divination tools you use, you must retain responsibility for your own life. “It’s in the cards” means nothing. You are the master of your destiny.
The final point in keeping Tarot real is timing. Not the timing given to you by the card layout but the timing involved in letting the symbolism work with your subconscious mind. Linear time only exists in our conscious minds where we have eyes to look at clocks and watches. Your subconscious mind doesn’t do time as we know it and it doesn’t stand on ceremony and wait to give you an idea or answer if you’re busy doing something else. So, you may have a Tarot reading, be completely confused and then two months later and idea will pop into your head whilst you’re in the middle of a completely unrelated conversation with somebody and it all makes sense.
So, if you come out of your Tarot reading scratching your head and thinking ‘What a load of rubbish’ just take that thought back and replace with ‘I wonder…..’. The subconscious mind loves that phrase because it means that it has something to do.
The Rider Waite Tarot deck is available from our sister site The Little Shop of Charms.