What are your particular beliefs regarding Tarot?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 19 Dec 2002, and now archived in the Forum Library.

Sara	19 Dec 2002
What is the Tarot to you? What are its purposes for you? Greetings everybody, I'm new here. For those of you who didn't read my intro, this is one of the questions for my research project, if anyone is interested to see what that is about, it is in my intro thread: http://www.tarotforum.net/showthread.php?s=&threadid=9919 Anyway, I'm excited to be here and interested in everyone's views. Hope to hear from lots of people. Sara

Osher	19 Dec 2002
I first became involved with Tarot as a way of providing a conduit for the visions and thoughts I was experiencing. Well, it didn't exactly do this, but I did find it a useful way of providing hope. Sometimes when you are wallowing around in a morass, the Tarot provides a light, and shows you how things can be. Hope this helps.

Diana	19 Dec 2002
Who was it who said once "Information is the answer, but what exactly is the question?" Tarot provides the answers, but also reminds us of the questions that prompted us to seek the knowledge in the first place.

Jeanette	19 Dec 2002
Well, I didn't get started with tarot with any specific goal. I was in the book store and saw the cutest little tarot book, about 2 inches square, with a tiny, tiny deck (the cards are about the size of a thumbnail). I was hooked! Then came the Universal Waite, and books, and more decks, and more books and you get the idea! Anyway, my beliefs about tarot (when people ask if I believe in it) are along the lines of the ink blot tests (Rorschach) when the images prompt different reactions. But, I've done readings that go far deeper than that, IMO. Anyway, I believe tarot can open many new different ways to think about things going on in life, from the mundane to eternal to spiritual to emotional and everything else! So, I hope this helps you in your research, and Welcome to the forum!

truthsayer	19 Dec 2002
i first became involved with tarot as a teenager. i had played around with several forms of divination but settled on tarot. the cards were interesting and pretty. it was an interesting hobby. i enjoyed learning how to read the cards and giving readings. as i've "matured" i use tarot more for self-exploration, meditation, my investigations into archetypes and mythology. i love delving into the cosmic mysteries of the cards! i began collecting decks about 3 years ago even though i've been into tarot 27 years. i am a graphic design student and long term lover of the arts. i enjoy seeing the wide artistic expression of the cards. for me it's like the poor woman's way to collect magnificent works of art. it's also an excellent way to delve into how others interpret the archetyal characteristics of the tarot--how the tarot symbollically links us all to the collective consciousness. it's also a great tool to use for creative writing.

zorya	19 Dec 2002
i use the tarot as a tool to help in my evolution and healing. i use it to help others with the same. i believe that everything and everyone is connected. the tarot helps me tap into that 'universal'. i also believe it assists my spirit guides in communicating with me.

wavebreaker	19 Dec 2002
When I first got into contact with tarot (through a website offering online readings) I thought of it as a game. I "played" with it for a bit and came back to the website every now and then just for the fun of it. The online readings weren't that impressive, but they did get me interested in tarot. I wanted to know more: how did it work? was it something I could learn too? So I bought a Rider-Waite deck, found Joan Bunning's website and then found Aeclectic and started learning (and still am...). And I found that the tarot, for me at least, is a tool to get to know myself, to connect with my subconscious, to help me develop myself spiritually. And also a tool to help me help others, by doing readings for them.

sparrowspirit	19 Dec 2002
I first came to tarot in my spiritual quest. I first was turned on to numerology by an aquaintance and found tarot books in the barnes and noble section on numerology. I was fascinated by the idea of divination with a tool that used both numbers and symbolism, my two favorite ways of making sense of this universe. I started learning the system and testing it to see if it "worked". I have found that it really does "work". I am not sure how it works, but it makes me feel sure of "divine" energy in a way that I haven't experienced before. Maybe that is very primitive of me, like "ancient" people who didn't have "science" to explain the universe,so attributed all natural occurences to the "gods". Anyway, this is my theory.... Do you remember in 5th grade when we studied magnetism in science class? The teacher put a bunch of metal filings onto a piece of wax paper. Then put a magnet underneath it and the filings lined up to show the magnetic field. For me, tarot cards, or (divination using any worldly substance), are like the metal filings on the wax paper. They aren't magic, but they "illuminate" the underlying, already existing field of energy. Being able to touch the "field of energy" in this way is very mystical and comforting to me. (Are there enough quotation marks in this "thesis" for you?) Does this appropriately address your query? Sparrow

SlyR	20 Dec 2002
Many advocates of the Tarot believe that it enjoys some theoretical scientific validation in the writings of Carl Jung, the father of Analytical Psychology. He speaks of a collective unconscious, which responds to universal symbols. Israel Regardie, in his text "The Tree of Life," discusses a similar concept known as the "Astral Light," which recieves and emits archetypal impressions. I subscribe to these and other related concepts; to me, the Tarot is a psychological device, like Rorshach tests and whatnot, which aids one in realizing concepts that are already known by his connection to a higher consciousness. When I was around seven years old, I noticed that my mother was selling a miniature RW deck at a rummage sale. She didn't really explain to me what it was, but I must have found out somehow or another, because when I was ten I asked her to buy me a deck at a bookstore. That RW deck was my first deck and remained my most used deck until this year. It's nice to have support from family. At first I used the deck for divination, but in my early twenties I discovered its more esoteric uses. Now it is, for me, a vehicle of personal discovery.

allibee	20 Dec 2002
I came to the tarot many years ago in what felt like my most desperate hour. Many people do, when all else seems to fail. But the longest, darkest hours have long since passed out of my life, as has done many people and situations, however the tarot remains with me always. It is not something I use or need everyday or all the time, but it is an incredibly useful 'life tool' to have in your armory. This is how I see the tarot at this point in my life, as a very useful 'life tool'. Although it is an everlearning process, I have learned to how to use it as skilfully as I can, and like to use it for others who don't have this in their own armory. Tarot brings to the surface what we need to know, but have hidden or lost in our subconscious for whatever reason, using the promptings of Archetypes and analogies. From this raising of consciousness, we become self empowered to deal with the situation it refers to. It gives us options, where there may have visibly been none on the surface before. Life is full of questions, and if we had it all completely figured out, then we would not need that tarot... or any other tool of divination or oracle. As it is, life is....as someone said....like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get. Up to this point in my life, I have used the tarot soley for 'life purposes', not spiritual, but there is no denying that I have had help from these higher planes who have assisted me to dip into the sea of universal consciousness, to bring a new dimension to my use and interpretation of the tarot. Best wishes in your thesis allibee

Major Tom	20 Dec 2002
For me, the tarot is for providing us with the information we need to produce the outcomes we want - for ourselves and others.

Sara	20 Dec 2002
Wow, thanks everybody for your many wonderful responses. I think it's only fair that I answer my own questions, too, but I wanted to see what other people had to say too. I've collected tarot decks since I was around eleven or twelve, I'm 21 now. I'm a tarotholic like many other people here. :) Inyway, it is only in the past few years that I have started really using the cards, for self insight and insight into the workings of the universe. I've recently began meditating on the cards. I've tried dreamwork off and on, meditating on the cards befor going to bed--interestingly, it wasn't until I stopped trying that I started having dreams about them, maybe I'd been trying too hard? I don't know. I have come to view the tarot as a repository for many people's spiritual insights over ime, and whether their origins were simply a card game durring the Rennaisance or they go much farther back than that, they are a valuable tool to connect to universal patterns. Thanks again for your replies. I will be posting my next question, probably in the Using Tarot forum, soon, but feel free to continue responding to this one, too. Sara

Trogon	21 Dec 2002
Howdy Sara... For me, the Tarot was originally a method of divination. I'd tried a few other methods and found them to be somewhat limited. However when a friend reintroduced me to Tarot, I felt this was the divination tool I needed. It has grown with me slowly over the past few years from a simple divination tool to something deeper. The Tarot has become a way for me to learn about myself and about other aspects of consciousness which I hadn't really tapped into before. I still use it for divination, but also for answering more esoteric questions such as why we are the way we are and why we do some of the things we do. However, the best part of the Tarot, for me, is when I can use it to help find some of the answers to these questions for someone else.

cuddles	21 Dec 2002
hi hi, i'm not sure what it is for me yet. i've only been learning to read tarot for the last couple of months. before that i played at it-reading a couple of times a year max, and not going beyond the elemental deck i bought on a whim and it's accompanying book. my aunt told me once when i was young not to mess with things like that because they had powers you don't understand...or something like that...and i listened to her. then i stopped listening to what she told me. not sure why. i sure needed a bit of guidance and focus and grounding. this seems to provide it. the cards keep telling me things i know and that i need to know. i am learning as much as i can without making it work and losing the joy. and it is a joy. i love it. i think for now tarot to me is a way of focusing on my inner self-it helps me feel i have more control over my life and its path than i thought. tarot seems to be showing me the way. tarot calms when when i start to panic and guides me in the right direction. right now, tarot is magic!

Trish	21 Dec 2002
Great question, Sara! hehe! Can't wait to find out what your next one is! ;) I'm still fairly new to it, and as such, I'm still trying to come to a complete definition of what it is to me. Sometimes, it is frustrating because I feel like I don't 'get' what the cards are trying to tell me. I have to constantly fight the temptation to look up the meaning in the book. hehe! And yet on the other hand, no two people really have the exact same view of it. However, I think I am leaning towards being someone who uses Tarot for meditation and reflection. To me, it is a window into the mind and soul, something to make you think about the things that influence you and your environment.

rota	21 Dec 2002
Tarot works because there are a bunch of angels who put the cards in order when somebody asks a question. Pretty simple, really.

lunalafey	21 Dec 2002
Tarot can be many things depending upon how you use them. 'what is your question in life?' future, direction, answers. For me I see tarot as a tool. When something needs fixing we find the proper tools to do the job. When one's mind cannot see straight because of too much internal and external stimulation, the cards can slow us down enough and provide a path of thought. It can direct us to the important issue at hand when we feel lost and don't know what to do. When we enter into something new in life and we are unsure of our steps, the cards can give us a feel for the enviroment and conditions of this unknown territory. I have also done readings about friends that are far away and have not heard from in a long time, wanting to know if they where ok. The cards tell me 'where' my friends are in life. happy, sad, money trouble, new partner...etc.

Shadow Wolf	22 Dec 2002
I came to tarot because I wanted to gain greated control over the things tha happen in my life. I was raised in a strict Catholic household, and while it is necessary to trust in the Divine, one must also take responsibiltiy for oneself. I started tarot because I needed understand some of the things I was feeling and thinking and where these feelings and thoughts were taking me. My tarot cards have helped to see the truth of many situations that I would still be hiding from otherwise. The cards always speak the truth, whether we want to hear it or not, and it's what we don't want to face up to that hits us right in the face during readings. The thing I love most about tarot is that when you really connect with a deck, the readings become so much more intense and accurate. I firmly believe that the decks we own choose us. My 2 cents worth. Thanks !!!!!

Sulis	22 Dec 2002
I came to tarot as a divination tool initially. I`d been practicing witchcraft for a year or so and felt that my studies should move on to encompass some form of divination. MY Grandad had a pack of tarot cards which I can vaguely (sp?) remember but I always thought that to use the cards you had to be obviously psychic - he was. I didn`t realise that it is possible to *learn* how to read. Now that I`m learning I have discovered that tarot is so much more than a tool of divinatiion. I use it as a meditation aid and as a mirror to my subconcious, to learn about myself - tarot does so much more than tell you the future. Tarot is now a major part of my spiritual path. I think that tarot helps you to see a situation from lots of different viewpoints, it allows you to step back and see the bigger picture. Love and light Crystalmynx xx

Fuzzmello	22 Dec 2002
I just loved the images of the Rider-Waite initially. Had not a cue why I cared about them and didn't really want to assign any meaning to them. I just loved to look at them. Someone gave me that first deck - they knew a little about them but had lost interest. I found myself looking through the cards every time I went over to her house and she offered them to me. I went through the typical confusion and frustration period as I tried learning to use them. LWBs and very bad lessons from people around me. Finally, the witch in my life appeared. She just used the cards, had no system, never even read a book on tarot. She just lets divination happen with breath-taking results. I try to follow her example. Tarot allows me to express what's inside me. I use it for meditation when I'm getting stuck in life, to provide subtle information about situations I can't see clearly, and simply to brighten each day. I still love them images! Fuzz

Alex	22 Dec 2002
for me to escape the boredom of my Ph.D. work. I'm sorry to tell you but you ain't gonna be able to use this one when your time comes. Now, I don't know exactly what the Tarot means to me. It's misterious and I like to learn the card meanings and try to make associations with life events. I read for myself to find some guidance when I feel like I need it; and I like to read for others because I think it helps them find their answers.

Liliana	26 Dec 2002
The Tarot for me is a tool of communication with the Divine, sometimes the Divine within, sometimes the Divine without. SOmetimes I also use it for meditation, usually leading to self discovery, but I suppose thats not much different than communicating with the Divine within :THP

JC	26 Dec 2002
I'm an art major. My decks tend to be my art collection. The ones I read and meditate with are my way of praying.

Khatruman	26 Dec 2002
I am always fascinated to hear someone working on a research project, and I would be glad to put in my in put (palindrome :D). Tarot has evolved in my thinking to be an input into the creative principle. Being a writer and a teacher of writing, I have had a deep fascination with how the creative process works, how people create ideas and understandings of the world. I first saw it as some kind of mystical power out there that the cards tapped into, then I turned inward and saw it as a tool to draw out deep subconscious ideas within the mind, a right brain tool to tap into the subconscious. Now I see it as a sort of blend of these two things. The mystical is the collective spirit, a kind of Jungian collective unconscious with the evocative archetypes and such, but also as a way into the deep creative mind. I see us as all individual entities, yet webbed together by a collective spirit that runs through all sentient life. We come into life as focused and separated spirits and leave to meld into the great spirit again. Tarot fits in with the whole spirit. Divination, tapping into the divine, happens in tarot reading with the random selection process. Other divination devices also use some kind of random choosing. If you choose something randomly, you let go your conscious control over it; therefore, once you are no longer guiding it through your conscious thought. That means that either it becomes totally random and meaningless, or something else takes control. The effectiveness of divination devices through all recorded history seems to indicate that it is not merely randomness, but there is a universal message and spirit that is tapped here. If it were mere randomness, then divination would certainly fall by the wayside. Scientists have been quick to discount a universal spirit because they can't measure it, or prove it through sensory observation. They come up with a theory of evolution which explains how animals develop characteristics through sheer defect and chance and survival of the fittest. I don't see the freakish developing of different survival techniques as simple chance. I see some deeper intellectual spirit governing that evolution. I feel I am getting somewhere which is going to take a lot to explain, but to tie it back into tarot, I think tarot taps into that deeper universal consciousness that we are all connected to. Peace!

jmd	26 Dec 2002
What are your particular beliefs regarding Tarot? The Tarot has a uniqueness - it has to have a specific number of cards and images for it to be Tarot. As tarot, it emerges, or is birthed, through the new consciousness arising towards the end of the middle ages and its proto-renaissance, eventually clarifying its own being in the 15th-16th century. It contains, within itself, much symbolic wisdom from far more ancient times - some going back to Egyptian, Babylonian and ancient Greek times, though metamorphosised through eclectic and syncretic neoplatonic thought and its resultant imagery. What is the Tarot to you? It is a tool which can assist in the development of what Rudolf Steiner refers to as 'sense-free Thinking'. As such, it can help individual development of Imagination, Inspiration and Intuition: what do we sense that has similar characteristics to vision during a reading?; what do we sense which has some similar 'tonal' qualities during investigations?; and what of our sense of being as we enter the spiritual spaces opened through the Tarot during meditation? - these, to me, very much is what the Tarot is all about. What are its purposes for you? ... and so, its purposes are to assist us as spiritual beings in this current developmental epoch.

Jeanette	27 Dec 2002
Khatruman wrote: I am always fascinated to hear someone working on a research project, and I would be glad to put in my in put (palindrome ). But I think a palindrome has to read backwards and forwards the same, like: sex at noon taxes ~ or ~ a man, a plan, a canal, panama! ~or~ radar ~or~ level. Just a little off topic, sorry! :)

Khatruman	27 Dec 2002
Quote: Originally posted by Jeanette put in my in put (palindrome ). But I think a palindrome has to read backwards and forwards the same, like: sex at noon taxes ~ or ~ a man, a plan, a canal, panama! ~or~ radar ~or~ level. Just a little off topic, sorry! :) It IS!!! it's a word palindrome, rather than a letter palindrome! Peace!

The What are your particular beliefs regarding Tarot? thread was originally posted on 19 Dec 2002 in the Talking Tarot board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Talking Tarot, or read more archived threads.