Why do you love Tarot?

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Oct 2003, and now archived in the Forum Library.

firemaiden	29 Oct 2003
Do you have a passion for the Tarot? Why? What really excites you about it? What do you really love about Tarot?

Diana	29 Oct 2003
It gives me the answers that I seek. It even provides me with the questions to which I seek answers for. It links me to the past and to the present and gives me glimpses of the future. Through Tarot, I have rediscovered my ancient roots which I had forgotten. It has shown me, without a shadow of a doubt, that there is is something called The Divine. A sacred mystery, it is. And I feel very humbled sometimes to be allowed to touch the edges of its robe. It's a passion maybe. But is is more in the realm of Love for me.

firemaiden	29 Oct 2003
I can't answer my own question of course... that's why I asked it. The first thing that made me go bonkers over Tarot was simply the art work. What I really love is when a reading seems so, so right, and there is that mystery that suddenly comes up, like HOW??? I guess it is, as Umbrae has written, the possibility of touching the divine.

tarotbrat	29 Oct 2003
i love the tarot because the answers that i receive, sometimes, don't make sense and for the question i ask at the time, but when the answer comes around, then it makes plenty of sense. it leaves me feeling confused and in awe, like "wow, that was weird, because the cards said it would be this way and i never thought that it would come around this way". i think of how uncanny it can give an answer like that. i learn how to open my eyes to different possibilites that it shows me. learning that an answer given is not set in stone, that given guidance, we have control of our lives.

lark	29 Oct 2003
It's tactile and portable. I love to handle the cards and they're small enough to always carry with you. It appeals to my love of art and color. When you really think about it how amazing to see one idea expressed over and over again without repetition seemingly forever. It's unique. It makes me feel special and honored to be a part of it. Appeals to my need to learn and grow. To me the tarot is a botomless pit of knowledge that I'll never come to the end of, or master. I am forever curious about it. There's always a new question to ask, answer to hear, book to read. And it gives me the chance not only to learn but to teach. It is the most satisfying thing to collect. It's affordable and something new is always coming out. There's always a new artist's work to follow and admire. Old decks to rediscover, and the thrill of the hunt (those ever elusive OOP decks) to find. I have had the pleasure of helping other people through my readings. And I get lots of hugs too. Spiritually tarot is a comfort to me, and once I found it I knew instantly that this is what I had been looking for all along. In the middle of the confusing matrix that is life I found a pack of tarot cards. And they lead me to a personal conversation with the Divine.

Star Spirit	29 Oct 2003
I think the main reason I love the tarot so much is because I consider myself to be a very intellectual person, and the tarot helps provide me with more insight into life and its problems, no matter what they may be. It really makes me think.

lunalafey	29 Oct 2003
CARDS- I have always loved cards. At 5 I saw someone shuffle a fancy ached shuffle. I got into grandpa's poker cards & shuffled away until I could do it quick & slick. I'd win all card games -excet the ones where the other person cheated ;) So I guess my love a tarot starts there. As for the Dynamics of a tarot deck, it started with a combination of the romantic aire of tarot and my desire to be more in touch with the psychic side of myself. As time went by, I loved tarot for the messages it offered me. I would find myself in a rare position of not knowing what to do and tarot would come along and help me find some direction. This is still the main reason I love tarot, but added are all the pretty & interesting decks I have aquired. I still get a shock of delight when tarot does something so-(?) obvious......all the while wishing that a skeptic was around to witness the magic of the cards.

mercenary30	29 Oct 2003
You said it exactly how I feel. Played cards my whole life. I have alway 'suffered' from deja vu and I have been highly intuitive. The cards have always intrigued me. I only just recently decided to check into them. Once I decided they were 'safe', I bought some and started to learn.........

Khatruman	29 Oct 2003
It's a great way to meet chicks :D Ummm, you know I'm kidding right? Right????

Cerulean	30 Oct 2003
I do very much like Luigi Scapini and Giorgio Tavaglione's tarots for their images, art and creative use of historical allegory and modern 'new age' blendings...I find Amerigo Folchi's graphic design development from fashion-oriented and children's decorative tarots to sophisticated tributes to his historical culture also fascinating. And sweet finds, such as seeing a blend of East and West in something like the Knapp-Hall--they were so serious about Mandalas...and Thoth...why I'm thrilled to see blends of East and West just for personal joy. When I see reissues of the Visconti and Mantegna and Di Gumppenberg tarots, it sweetly reminds me the relics of European past are appreciated and treasured... And slowly, delightfully, I'm learning Italian and poetry related to these things.

firemaiden	30 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Khatruman It's a great way to meet chicks :D Ummm, you know I'm kidding right? Right???? Harumph... you have met some great chicks through tarot, haven't you??

Kiama	30 Oct 2003
I think my love of it stems from the same reason as firemaiden: been playing cards all my life. I learned how to count whilst gambling with my grandparents. (Only for pennies mind you! And the pennies always went back in the same jar, not into anybody's pocket, though it didn't take the fun away. :D) My family is very big on card-games, so I've always felt at home with a deck of cards. Initially I loved Tarot because it was so mysterious and unique. I considered myself unique and mysterious aswell because nobody else I knew had a deck. (I was 9 years old at the time, of course nobody else had a deck!) Now though, nearly all my friends have at least one Tarot deck, and I spend alot of time here online with other Tarot lovers, so that uniqueness and mystery has gone. But in its place something else has been left. I have found that the Tarot, not through readings but through the concepts it represents in the cards, has shown me a mini-map of the Universe on a spiritual level. It shows the relationship between mankind and the Divine. To me, it is like a sacred book, although it is less strict! But on top of all that, I can help people with the Tarot. I did a reading the other night for a girl who had just started University and who was considering giving up, so she asked me for a reading. I won't tell you what it said, but afterwards she burst into tears and said she knew which way she was going. Just knowing that you can help somebody I think adds drive to what you are doing. On top of these two factors is the fact that with every new Tarot deck I get, I get new insights. I just love learning new things, and it seems that with Tarot there is *always* something new to learn! There are many more reasons, but as to whether or not they can be articulated... It's another story altogether. :D Kiama

Khatruman	30 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden Harumph... you have met some great chicks through tarot, haven't you?? Ohhhh, trust me, your Wenchedness, I have met some fab-o-mundo chicks...;) just didn't want y'all to think that I have ulterior motives })

Cassiopeia	30 Oct 2003
loads of reasons! I used to read with playing cards and kind of developed a curiosity about tarot from there, loved my first deck because my mother hated it! Life can be such a struggle at times, the fog decends and there is so much confussion and uncertainty. Tarot lifts the fog. Wether it is for me or other people, tarot readings can ease the struggle, give hope, thats why I love it.

skytwig	30 Oct 2003
Wow, seems to be a common theme here..... the lust for cards as children! I couldn't get away from them as a kid... always thought there was 'something else' i could be doing with them. My first Tarot Deck was such a relief to that "thing" that was driving me as a child.... Phew! Like coming home to myself! :)

Arora	30 Oct 2003
i think the cards enable us to really live our lives. To question things, to realize consequences or possibilities, to really think before we act. that is why i read them, and why most people ask me to read them - it seems that they want to weigh the possibilities, potential outcomes, and reasons for making decisions. an effort to give things some real thought. we all have this capability, but more often than not, people (in my everyday life) act without thinking, and thus, drama ensues. setting off a chain of events, mostly "conflict", that could of been avoided if a little more thought and effort was put in to begin with. i think i love tarot, because it helps me really think about things, before making rash decisions that could have negative effects on myself and others.

Macavity	30 Oct 2003
A great way of combining a whole array of disparate hobbies and interests? Lemmeseenow: History, Egyptology, Languages, Alphabets, Symbolism, Psychology, Numbers, Astronomy, Arts and Crafts, Science, Music, Computers and now... Plumbing (*) ;) Macavity * Thanks to a few "magickal" incantations, I even pursuaded my recalcitrant hot water system to work this afternoon. And believe me THAT defies all conventional explanation :D

bonnycat	30 Oct 2003
that is like asking me what is a witch it is not something i can articulate very well. for all the reasons mentioned and more they have taught me so much about myself and others. What apears at first to be simple never is. I love the fact the it come from me and every reader will have a different take on the same card. they have given me so much to wonder at

IrishRiotGrrrl	30 Oct 2003
I love the tarot because not everyone uses them and I can help people who are having questions about their life.

Bean Feasa	31 Oct 2003
Actually it was this thread that made me come out of the shadows and join up, I've been wanting for a while to be able to articulate what Tarot has come to mean to me in the space of a few short months. As I explained on my introductory post over on the New Members board, I sort of fell into it by accident when my sister asked me to buy a deck for her. I opened it (the Sharman-Caselli) and the book that goes with it by Julia Sharman-Burke, and was completely and utterly captivated. It's actually difficult to explain, but I think I felt that I could see all the energies of life itself portrayed in the cards. Then followed the excitement of discovering all the other decks, the different renderings, the shades of meaning. It was like finding myself in Aladdin's cave. I think some of it may have to do with a visual response - I notice other people have mentioned this. I used to draw and paint but haven't done for a long time, and I think Tarot art is stirring up hankerings there. Also, although I love my job as a legal translator, it is very left-brained and analytical. At the moment, Tarot feels like soft rain falling on the parched places in my life. Eek, help - I don't usually gush like this. I mean every word though.

Original Destiny	31 Oct 2003
Why do I love Tarot? I have no choice, I was seduced by a deck of cards in a local shop over 30years ago. I wasn't looking for anything in particular I just saw a deck and it seemed to speak to me, I was enchanted and have been ever since

bunnyhop	31 Oct 2003
tarot is another tool i use to help and counsel others... sometimes i get some much needed counseling from the cards as well...it all works out :)

firemaiden	31 Oct 2003
Quote: Originally posted by Bean Feasa Actually it was this thread that made me come out of the shadows and join up, I've been wanting for a while to be able to articulate what Tarot has come to mean to me in the space of a few short months. Gosh, Bean Feasa, thank you for coming out of the shadows! I'm honored if it was this thread that tempted you. :) I too fell into loving tarot within a short time after discovering it... my first deck, the Crowley was so intriguing and mysterious, I just wanted to learn more and more.

lawguy51	31 Oct 2003
Well, initially I was trying to save the money I was spending on clairvoyants ;) . But let's seem, hmmm, 20 decks, a trip to the Omega Institute, the Toronto Tarot Symposium, 30 Tarot books...some savings! Really, it's just part of my personality that once I latch onto something, I can't let go. Tarot has hovered around me since the seventies. And I have had many psychic readings and have friends who are clairvoyant. I even featured Tarot in my novel when I knew not a fig about the subject. I guess it was just meant to be. I love Tarot. Too much, even. I haven't read a non-Tarot book in a year. I've got three Tarot books on the go right now, Tarot of Prague, Professional Tarot and Mirror of the Soul. I love the cards but mostly I love the chill down my spine when a spread just springs up at me. Oh, and I love this forum. Happy Boo Lawguy51

WolfSpirit	01 Nov 2003
There is so much I like about it... I like to physically lay out the cards, I like to look at the cards, how many different decks there are... And on a deeper level that is more difficult to explain - the way it makes things clearer to me, helps me make right choices, calms me down when I need it. And of course meeting you people here and talk about tarot :)

miss_apples	04 Nov 2003
I like tarot because it helps me focus well enough to try and discover my intuitive abilities. I have trouble concentrating so I definatly need the cards to help me focus.

Majecot	04 Nov 2003
I love the mystical and magical things in life, I always have been intrigued by mystery. Tarot to me is one of the Great Wonders of the earth. It pulls me back into focus, helps me dream and to realize those dreams, lights my way when I feel lost. My cards comfort me, (and when I feel frightened, I sometimes I sleep with them under my pillow). And on the more materialistic side.. well I love the art work and it gives me something else unusual to collect. :D

Nevada	04 Nov 2003
The reason that stands out on the surface of my love for Tarot is the artwork. But that's a physical thing...well, not entirely physical, because that's not where art comes from. There are internal sources of advice and answers, and there are external ones. To me Tarot provides a linking of these, a bridge of sorts. It incorporates a spiritual aspect and brings everything together in one package. It's a way of fine-tuning these bridges between myself, others and spirit in a way that has a language all its own, and also transcends language. Aah, in many respects I find there are no words for why I love it. It doesn't always even feel good, but it feels--Right. Diana mentioned Love. Love permeates all my feelings about Tarot. Not just my love, but the love of Spirit as well. When I'm using the cards I experience a connection with the Divine. Nevada P.S. And now that I read the other posts, I also realize that my family played cards a lot too. Canasta, Cribbage. My oldest sister was the Canasta Queen. :)

Ravenswing	04 Nov 2003
Tarot is that little pocket mirror, mirror on the wall. It fits in a special sack in a special pocket in my everything bag. I can take it out anytime, anywhere and ask my questions. Or just look at the pretty pictures. Shuffling is the most comforting meditations I have found. The sound of the cards sliding, sliding, sliding... A great friend, a marvalous counselor. Almost everything but sex. fly well Raven PS-- did I mention chocolate??

Requiella	04 Nov 2003
Tarot appeals to my love of systems. I get into learning about/analyzing any complex system, of which tarot is one. So, primarily, tarot serves as one outlet for intellectual inquiry. Interestingly, I collected decks of playing cards as a kid and was a little fascinated by cards and why they were designed the way they were (e.g., why have "clubs" and "spades"? Where did they come from). Tarot has become an extension of this, in a way. And finally, as Lark and others have said, part of it is about the art. I have a penchant for art, and I enjoy exposing myself to different interpretations of the tarot through various people's art.

All Is One	06 Nov 2003
As Umbrae was quoted at the earliest part of this thread, Tarot is a way of "touching the divine," for me as well. But actually all roads lead to Rome... so I would say that every part of my existence is reflected in my need to incorporate ritual and beauty and spirituality into my daily life. Some periods seem to draw me closer to Tarot and other times I briefly leave it for a time. Tarot is one way that reconnect my self with my Self, poetry (writing it and reading it) and art of all kinds, watering my plants, playing games with my birds... all of these work in different ways. Basically Tarot - more than any other system of study I can name, grounds me and connects me to my Self, with the capital S, as in my spirit: my divine soul.

Logiatrix	06 Nov 2003
...because tarot loves me back. It is one three things that give back to me every ounce of effort I have put into it. I know that's pretty much how it is with Life In General, but I'm thinking more about tangibles that parallel tarot right now. With tarot, I get what I give. This is the kind of reciprocity I have also found in books ever since I was a child; and also in prayer, from which I have acquired immeasurable peace since I became ill many years ago. Tarot, it seems, is the third gift I have been given by the Universe. Each gift is better than the last. Sometimes, I actually think, "I can die now, these gifts--this life-it's so wonderful." Not just because of any one thing, like tarot. It is ALL so beautiful, because we have these things by which we are able to connect to the Divine. Amazing! :D

Eowyn	07 Nov 2003
its been a long time.... I love tarot because it helps me to put order on my ideas, also it gives me some glimps of the future when I thinks there is a need to. And it allowes me to help friens, in the meaning of hearing them. ;)

firestorm	10 Nov 2003
Why do I love the Tarot.....let me count the ways: I've been interested in various divination tools since the age of 10. It appeals to my sense of logic combined with flexibility and mystery. I love the idea of there always being something to learn about it; it will never be completely mastered. I love that I can collect to my hearts content and not go broke...well, at least not yet! I love having a large choice of decks to suit every mood and need. I'm very sensitive to color and I love the feeling of seeing an incredible deck for the first time. I love that I can count on my decks to give me the answers I need. For me, there is nothing more satisfying than sitting down with a good deck, or tarot book and spend quiet hours with a cup of tea by the fire.

wolfen045	12 Nov 2003
Like many others I have been fascinated by playing cards since I was a child. I spent many hours playing solitaire. I loved laying out the cards. I also love colorful artwork as others have also said. Tarot appeals to both my intellectual side and my intuative side. Opening up and going through a new deck is always a thrill... blessings,wolfen

jmd	15 Nov 2003
Such a simple question... yet laden with so much. There is an aspect of this thread which echoes back to questions about what Tarot is. There is another aspect, as difficult - or even more so for some of us - to reflect as to why we, or rather, the singular 'I', have particular feelings or opening for the Tarot. As a deck, its iconography, its structure, its reflective capacities, are astounding. As Macavity lists, it leads one into so many areas of human learning and striving that it is an incredibly efficient tool of instruction - of spiritual instruction which, nonetheless, leaves one free to undertake any part or parts of the study. Within its iconic images, the distant past - nay - the eternal present, resounds. Its rich framework of interweaved impulses find their way in human imaginative faculties beautifully awoken by these images. Its structure in the pips awakens sacred geometry in its more abstract and pythagorean forms. In the Courts are reflected our neighbour, our sibling, our parent - our very self. Tarot assists in the awakening to reverence. The awesomeness of the world, of its spiritual undertones, echoes and ripples therein. It affects each of us in adorning our minds with beauty, with rigor and strength, with wisdom and understanding... What a gift to the world it is... and a play to those who wish to engage. ... and that's just the Marseilles! ;)

The Why do you love Tarot? thread was originally posted on 29 Oct 2003 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.