How do YOU think Tarot Works.

Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 29 Jan 2004, and now archived in the Forum Library.

ol_crazy_Legs	29 Jan 2004
I know this has prolly been done over and over... but i was wondering what other ppls opinions where on how tarot works. I think that the pictures of the decks invoke something with-in yourself. Selecting the Cards with your innder guide, instead of you consious mind. I think that the subconsuis mind which provides your "Inner Guide" Has phsycic tendincies.

Imagemaker	29 Jan 2004
We're all working on developing our own experiences to answer this, and plenty of book chapters have been written on this too. If you go to the "Table of Contents--how to read" right above these posts, firemaiden has done an amazing job of organizing topics. I suggest you scroll to the very bottom under "peripheral considerations" and read the threads under "what does the tarot really show us." That's just one place to start in answering your question!

Kiama	29 Jan 2004
Hmmm... I have a few theories that I move between depending on whether I am in my skeptical mood or my believer mood... (Yep, I change between them quite easily...) In my skeptical mood I think that the cards are jusr random, and nothing controls the way they come out of the deck... BUT it is a fact that our mind, which knows an incredible amount of stuff that we may not be fully aware of (hence the subconscious and unconscious...) manages to see in the random cards meaningful links to our lives... And somehow this works. In my believer mood I think the way the cards fall in a reading are controlled by either the reader's higher self, or the deity they believe in, be it, God, the Goddess, different Gods, angels... I understand that these are not excellent answers, and they leave alot still unexplained. But they're the best I can do in response to something we cannot yet empirically investigate and test under controlled conditions. (Would we want to? Rhetorical question there for y'all... })) Kiama

miss_apples	29 Jan 2004
I think that every one has psychic and intuitive abilities and I think that the cards help us to focus so that we can concentrate just enough...but not too hard to bring those abilities out. I also think that there may be a possiblility that sometimes our spirit guides pick out the right cards for us. Of course these are all just theories.

fairyhedgehog	29 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by Kiama In my skeptical mood I think that the cards are jusr random, and nothing controls the way they come out of the deck... BUT it is a fact that our mind, which knows an incredible amount of stuff that we may not be fully aware of (hence the subconscious and unconscious...) manages to see in the random cards meaningful links to our lives... And somehow this works. This is what I think. I think it is all about our amazing ability to take things and make sense of them, to find links, to tell stories. I don't have non-sceptical moods ;)

ol_crazy_Legs	29 Jan 2004
how about when the crads tell the furture? Im not trying to be oposing i just want to know what ppl think about it... thats all. :)

Diana	29 Jan 2004
I have come to the conclusion that it's just Energy. Energy is like one massive spider-web. All of it is connected. As we, as human beings, are part of that energy, we just pick up on it. As naturally as we breath. The cards are part of the Energy as well. To me, it's no mystery at all. No gods, no deities, no guardian angels and no higher self. Just Energy. That is also how I understand Pendulums work. We just pick up on the object's or person's energy which is connected to ours. Physics, if you like.

firemaiden	29 Jan 2004
I think it works, because it doesn't matter what card you get. Which ever one you get, you will be able to relate to some how.

Star Spirit	29 Jan 2004
I believe the power is in the reader, and their connection to their higher self and the universe. They have the ability, they trust their own feelings and intuition. They know their personal way of doing everything, how to shuffle, when to stop, how to deal the cards, and how to interpret the messages they receive. The cards are the tools.

ol_crazy_Legs	29 Jan 2004
Diana I some what agree to what your saying. I kinda feel like Tarot is Just this a way to grab where the energy is going.. kinda like a net and relate them back to you through you "Inner Guide" this is why i think it can "relate" to you so well. I think where all conected some how.

Thea Lynx	29 Jan 2004
I think Dead Star has hit on to the crux of it for me. Ever since I started with my cards, they have always spoken clearly whether the reading was my own daily cards or a reading for someone else, of which I have done precious few so far. Most of the time, as soon as I turn the card over, an impression of the meaning speaks inside me (thats as close as I can come to articulating what this process feels like) and the more I look at it and its relation to any other card in the spread, the more information comes to mind. Many times, theimages and meanings for one style of deck with impose themselves on a deck for another style - (my clumsy way of saying a Rider type interpretation will seem more appropriate for one or more cards in a spread I am doing with my Thoth or other Thoth style deck.) Strange thing, I noticed in class my insight is not nearly so keen when I am looking at cards others have laid out for themselves - like the spreads we do in class. Many times I'll get a good hit, sometimes I'll revert to the classical meanings but there are times when another person's cards say absolutely nothing to me. if I have not touched them, it seems, I can not properly read them. So, I have come to the conclusion that the reader's energy needs to be on the cards being read in order to get the most out of it, at least mine does. One of my classmates says "The cards don't lie" but we all know it is not the cards, the pieces of paper themselves, that do the talking - it is the archtypes, the images, feelings, intuitions and insights they evoke that does not lie. Some day, when I am feeling very brave, I plan to try a reading with a plain old deck of playing cards - I would like to see if the things I have learned about the elements, suits, numbers, etc. are strong enough to come out in that type of environment. Thea Lynx

Macavity	29 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by firemaiden I think it works, because it doesn't matter what card you get. Which ever one you get, you will be able to relate to some how. Yup. (though it can be quite predictive?) :D Yesterday: 6 Swords; Princess of Disks; Queen of Disks "Science": Take... (female) cat to see (also female) Vet! X-ray reveals mundane/chronic and treatable problem :) Macavity P.S. All I really needed was for the King of Disks to pay the bill! :P

ncefafn	29 Jan 2004
I don't know how my car works. I don't want to learn how it works. I am happy that it takes me from here to there and back again, and I do what I can to appease it. I don't wrap it in silk, although I do store it in a box each night. I'm not especially attentive at keeping it cleansed, but it doesn't seem to complain as long as I keep it fueled and lubricated. We seem to have reached an unspoken agreement. My cards don't require gasoline or oil, nor even any petroleum jelly. They are much more numerous than my car, and reside happily on just a couple of bookshelves. The most they demand of me is an occasional shuffle, a little bit of human contact to keep them lubricated and flexible, the same oil that works on the machines of our souls. I don't ask them how they manage to take me from here to there; I am just grateful that they do. They seem satisfied with the arrangement, and I have nothing to complain of either. Idle musings from the third ring. Kim

ol_crazy_Legs	29 Jan 2004
If you knew how your car worked... then you would know what to do to make it run better than ever befor.

ncefafn	29 Jan 2004
No doubt you are right. Would you like to buy my tarot card collection? :) Kim

Kiama	30 Jan 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ol_crazy_Legs how about when the crads tell the furture? Im not trying to be oposing i just want to know what ppl think about it... thats all. :) Let me try (and I say the word try because I don't know if I will fail or not in the attempt... })) to carry along with my 'skeptical' belief of how Tarot works... I think it is entirely possible that the human mind can also predict the future. It doesn't necessarily have to involve psychic ability: it can simply involve common sense and an understanding of the past and present. If you kno what happened in the past and what is happening in the present, you can reach a conclusion as to what will happen in the future, which is then quite likely to be true. For instance: a man is standing in the middle of a busy road in the present. I can deduce that if he, in the future, continues to stand in the middle of that road, he may get run over or injured in some way. Another less dramatic instance: if in the present I do not revise and study for my exam, it is most likely that in the future I will fail that exam dismally. I need no cards to tell me that, nor any psychic powers. So, when coupled with the cards, I think, even using the above 'skeptical' explanation of how Tarot works, we can reconcile the theory with being able to predict the future. Although, I know what could probably falsify all the above: prediction of future instances that are entirely surprise, and that could not have been predicted based on present or past events. Eg- a healthy and completely happy young person being killed in a car crash, or a studious student (Duh!) who has revised their pants off for their exam getting into the exam to find the exam board have mucked up (a fairly common occurrance in the UK I assure you) and asked questions that do not relate at all to the curriculum being taught... }) I found ncefafn's response very interesting. I think that the reason why I like to have my theories of how Tarot works is so that I can explain to others when they ask the question. If you're a professional Tarot reader, and your querent asks you 'so, how does all this work then?' and you simply reply 'I don't know, but it does', I think you might lose a bit of your client's confidence... I would certainly like to know that the person doing a reading for me had some idea, even if it's just a theory of how it works. It shows they've really studied it, and have thought long and hard about it. After all, if your heart surgeon coudn't explain to you how the various instruments he uses worked, you'd get rather worried! }) I've been reading this thread with relish because I find it very interesting to see what everybody else thinks. More posts now please! :D Kiama

Samweiz	31 Jan 2004
I have always wondered how tarot works and it might work in multiple ways. I use my calling card quote in thinking about things ... "Don't limit God or Yourself". Perhaps God(all aspects of God .. all facets of the infinitely faceted Gem), angels and spirits have a hand in laying out the tarot cards. We should not limit ourselves either ... our minds/subconscious/higher selves are all connected to the super-conscious, connected to Indra's web, the askashic records, the well of knowledge. Perhaps our unconscious directs the deal, perhaps not ... but maybe our intuition/subconscious draws that knowledge from off the psychic web, that which we can't know with our conscious minds. Perhaps its a combination of all the above.

unreality	31 Jan 2004
Personally, I believe that the tarot, and any other means of divination, for that matter, are mere gate-ways to the unconcious. That is to say, that they allow us to probe our own minds to learn that which we already know - springboards for one's own intuition, if you will. In other words, we already know what will happen in the scenario posed by the querent, but since our mind doesn't have a way to translate such information, it refuses to process it, and hence we don't know it. However, the tarot give it some means by which to relate our knowledge... like a multiple choice test.

ros	31 Jan 2004
When people pull the cards I tell them that it is their unconcsious pulling certain cards, because this is what needs to be brought out to light so they can become "aware" of the present moment & begin to deal with their future. I believe Tarot etc. is the unknown (unconscious) that wants to be acknowledged. Our intuition tells us to look for ways to find our answers to our questions or uneasiness. Clients know something but can't express their knowing &Tarot helps. We bring light to which they cannot see. They can only understand what the reader can interpret for them. People can become aware of what is hidden within themselves. "tarot brings awareness to those who ask" "awareness brings clarity"

Never_Mind	31 Jan 2004
I think it works by telling us a story that has not been told before.

Imagemaker	31 Jan 2004
Quote: I think it works by telling us a story that has not been told before. Ah, yes, because our stories are still unfolding as we, the protagonists, try to figure out what to do to get from this page to the next. Everyone here has such good descriptions of the process. It's inspiring to know we share this path.

psychiclayla	01 Feb 2004
Many and varied explainations here. It's fascinating reading all your different views. My pet theory is that on some level we already know and understand the cards (and everything else as I believe that nothing is hidden from your higher self). So when we pick out the Tarot cards we are drawn to the ones that we know contain the answer to our question. When you pick your cards you don't just count 1,2,3 off the top of the pack (I've never seen anyone do it like this anyway). You are drawn to a certain card. It either stands out to look at, or your hand is drawn towards it. Reading the Tarot is trusting your higher self to give you the answers you need. That is what I tell my clients when they ask how it works, although some of them have a hard time believing that they have an all-knowing, all-seeing higher self!

Cocobird55	02 Feb 2004
The way tarot works for me is by supplying options. I think that I tend to respond to the same situations in the same way, simply because that's what I've always done. And what I've always done hasn't always worked out that well. When I ask a question and pull a card, the card gives me a new way of looking at things. I may or may not change my response, but at least I take a hard look at how I've done things, and what I might do to to make a positive change. Sue

firemaiden	02 Feb 2004
Cocobird55 wrote: Yes! Supplying options. I think it supplies options a bit the way magnetic poetry does... you know, the kind that goes on your refrigerator (along with those magnets to put clothes on a 2-D version of a marble David.) I had an electro-magnetic poetry kit once...for the computer. (Before I had a mac, ack) it was a like a screen saver, you watched the words float by on a blackground of clouds and sky, and when you saw one word that particularly attracted you, you skewered it down... then you waited for the next lively catch to come along, and skewered it down with the first, and so on, until a sentence was born... what magnificent poetry results therefrom! Why? I dunno, maybe because the supply of interesting words floating around in the alphabet soup in the brain is infinite. The poetry kit is finite. It limits the possibilities, maybe. Makes it easier. The tarot cards give a physical presense to the possible ideas "out there", and they also limit that infinite, primordial ocean of nascent ideas, all clamouring to find the waters edge... No, no, that's wrong, they don't limit anything -- they "frame" it. You have 78 little "frames" each one capable of inspiring an infinity of ideas, of course... [i haven't forgotten -- who said it? if you look at anything long enough and you will see everything...] -- but they give it structure. And from there you can use the tongs of your brain to pick out those most elegant, most fitting crustacean-thoughts from the waters edge, and stick them on to the thought board --like those little felt rabbits they used in Kindergarten, on a felt board to teach us to count... (remember that?)

Diana	03 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by psychiclayla When you pick your cards you don't just count 1,2,3 off the top of the pack (I've never seen anyone do it like this anyway). You are drawn to a certain card. It either stands out to look at, or your hand is drawn towards it. When I first joined Aeclectic, I fell over backwards when I realised that most people DO pick their cards from the top, 1, 2, 3, 4. I did a survey about it. There's a thread somewhere on the survey. Most Americans do "flip" their deck (because they are historically poker players and are used to handling decks of cards this way, and because I suppose the books availablel tell them this is the way to do it.) Most Continental Europeans "fan" their cards and they pick their cards by being drawn to them (probably because historically Europeans are more into fortune telling.) Non-Continental Europeans (i.e. British) and Non-Americans faned or flip, sort of 50/50. From what I can see, both methods seem to work, although they are so radically different. I personally never flip my deck. I flip my deck when I'm playing poker (and usually lose - :D - ).

Dark_angel	03 Feb 2004
Interesting cultural differences, thanks for pointing that out, Diana. Personally, I shuffle until it feels right, and then take the cards one at a time from the top of the deck. Part of the reason is that I can see it as a 'story' of sorts, running from one card to the next. The other reason is that I'm a mean poker player! lol. It's always fascinating to find out what people believe about the tarot, and their rituals for it.

Indigo Rose	03 Feb 2004
Quote: Originally posted by ol_crazy_Legs ... but i was wondering what other ppls opinions where on how tarot works. hmmm..... "GOD grant me the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot change, COURAGE to change the things I can, and WISDOM to know the difference." 1) When I seek answers from a Tarot reading, I am actually seeking WISDOM from God. This wisdom enables me to see the things I can't change, which takes me out of a state of denial and places me in a state of acceptance called SERENITY. 2) God's wisdom spoken in Tarot, also helps me see the things I can change. Seeing what can be changed gives one the COURAGE needed to make the changes. 3)I think Tarot works because one is OPEN to the messages. Indigo Rose

The How do YOU think Tarot Works. thread was originally posted on 29 Jan 2004 in the Using Tarot Cards board, and is now archived in the Forum Library. Read the active threads in Using Tarot Cards, or read more archived threads.