Other USes
Thread originally posted on the Aeclectic Tarot Forum on 15 Apr 2005, and now archived in the Forum Library.
| hoomer |
15 Apr 2005 |
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I was taught that "divination is the weakest use of tarot"
does anyone here use tarot in any other way besides divination????
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| MercyMe |
15 Apr 2005 |
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Divination is seeking the "mind of God" so to speak, so any time anyone prays, meditates, asks for "divine guidance" they are, in a sense, divining. Many use tarot as a tool for self-evaluation and reflection without asking for "divine guidance." It is seen as a way to tap into one's subconscious, information below the conscious surface of one's knowing, but which is already known by the reader. Unfortunately the term "divination" has come to be known primarily as "fortune telling." The reason certain forms of divination was looked askance at by both Judaism and Christianity was because it was thought to be the practice of seeking other "gods" for information and not relying on YHWH (The One True God, to those people) for guidance. It came to be seen as a way to consort with demons which would only lead people astray and away from God. But God or gods or demons or spirits need not even come into play in one's use of tarot. One doesn't need to believe in any of those and still be an effective tarot reader because the images and meanings are based on human archetypes that tap readily into the subconscious because they are common to the human experience.
I see no problem with divination myself. If one believes in divine beings then what is wrong with asking for divine guidance while interpreting the cards? I would think that would be a matter of course. It's just that one need not believe in such to effectively use them.
~Mercy
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| hoomer |
15 Apr 2005 |
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OK ......
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| Deana |
15 Apr 2005 |
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If you're trying to improve your visualization skills, memorizing and then visualizing a Tarot card can help. If you write fiction, Tarot can help with plotting or characterization.
I'm not sure why you responded the way you did to the reply MercyMe gave you. I didn't see the unedited version, but the edited reply seems a bit rude.
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| The Dreamer |
15 Apr 2005 |
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The question of how divination works and whether god, demons, or other spirits have anything to do with it (though an interesting question) does not have to do with the question "does anyone here use tarot in any other way besides divination".
I myself find divination to be a very strong use for tarot, and that is my main use for it.
I've heard that some are more interested in studying the reasons that the symbols were put on the cards, or about discovering the history of the cards, or in meditating upon the images.
Perhaps some who use it in those or other ways will respond here.
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| HudsonGray |
15 Apr 2005 |
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My main use is for divination as well, I don't think it's weak at all. Since divination IS the main use for the cards, I'm wondering why anyone would say it's not it's strong point.
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| Rosanne |
15 Apr 2005 |
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Divine is the adjective and noun- divines, divining, divined is the verb. Divination is also a noun- is the Art of practice or discovering events or unknown things, about self or possible future. That is what Tarot is. I do use it mainly for that, its strongest point I think- otherwise I would just read books about human behavior. I also use it for collecting the decks- specific to cards history(ie Egyptian History)-learning about speaking out intuition-Archetypes knowledge-story telling- meditation-and visualisation, a specific walk into a card mentally to discover what my underbrain can see. I think the person telling you about Divination been its weakest point may have meant a bad interpretation of 'Fortune Telling'- you will win money or meet tall dark stranger etc etc... which of course may be statisically possible, but for me it tells me how to act if I did win money or meet a tall dark stranger or what might lead me to meet tall dark stranger or if I need a particular trait to grow spiritually. In one post jokingly called Tarot her 'Personal Dharma assistant'- very good logo I thought. ~Rosanne
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| Gwynne |
15 Apr 2005 |
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I'm going to start making Tarot purses :D I've got a couple of decks with some damaged cards, The Housewives (hubby bent the Two of Cups) and a Thoth (dog bit the Knight of Discs)... So I'm going to decoupage some of the cards onto wooden purses!
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| jmd |
15 Apr 2005 |
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Personally, I consider some of the wonderful gifts Tarot usage bestows is the development of the Imaginative, Inspirational and Intuitive faculties - and of these especially the first.
As a consequence of the development of these spiritual senses, Divination also develops - being graced requires that one also has the faculties to sense into the gifts, and these Tarot assists in blossoming. In a similar manner, unless one has functioning eyes, physical light, though full-some, will not be perceived.
Divination, contra what some authors have therefore written, is not, to my mind, in any manner the 'weakest use of Tarot', but rather quite a highly valued and valuable skill when used and combined with developing spiritual senses.
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| MercyMe |
15 Apr 2005 |
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I think saying "divination is the weakest use of tarot" is faulty because it relies on a limited understanding of "divination." I brought up the broader meaning as a way of showing that using tarot for divination is one of its stronger uses and is not limited to "fortune telling" and the biases against "divination" often have their roots in older taboos. Maybe subconsciously ;)
Though I use tarot primarily for divining the depths of my subconscious, I also find the history, sociological connections, archetypal images and art fascinating as a field of study all to itself.
~Mercy
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| Rosanne |
15 Apr 2005 |
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jmd- your post was a Poem. Very well said. ~Rosanne
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| tarotbear |
16 Apr 2005 |
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I use tarot (at times) for spell work. Archetypes and spellwork go well together.
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| Fulgour |
16 Apr 2005 |
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I was taught that "divination is the weakest use of tarot" And did you believe this to be true... or just take notes?
Maybe the "teacher" read it somewhere and liked how it
sounded kind of spooky and mysterious, secret and cool.
Would you say you got your moneys worth from the course,
and if so, were you taught the less weak uses of the Tarot?
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| SunChariot |
16 Apr 2005 |
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I was taught that "divination is the weakest use of tarot"
does anyone here use tarot in any other way besides divination????
Well, I don't know if one use is "weaker" than another. I think Tarot is there to meet our needs whatever they may be at the time. And all our needs are valid. There is a lot to be said for letting the cards tell us the likely outcome of a situation. Foreknowledge gives us the chance to alter what we do not wish to happen and thus to create our best lives.
But for me actually, I do sometimes use it for divination, but most of the time not. I read only for myself, as a means of self-exploration and enlighenment, to understand myself and life on a deeper level, as well as mu connection to the universe and everyone and everything in it.
I use it when I see myself acting in a way that is not productive to me, to analyse why I am acting in that way and how I can change my attitude and my actions. I use it to understand my inner child and the unconscious reasons I act as I do. How incidents in my past contributed to making me the person I am today, and which parts I want to embrace and which parts it is time to let go of. In fact you could say I spend more time looking at the past and present than at the future with my Tarot.
When I am being too hard on myself I use it to develop more tolerance for whatever faults I may have and more self-love. I use it to analyse the meaning of life and my place in it....my purpose here in the world....to find and feel and maintain my connection to the world...things like that. In short it is an eternal source of growth and improvement in my life. And as course as no one can be perfect there is always something to work on and improve. :-)
I would say about your quote, which I love BTW, "God is thus not to be looked at, but loved and enterd into union with. Loved and Lover must become one." Tarot for me is a way to do just that. It is very much the best way I have found to do that. To appreciate life more and thus grow closer in understanding and love and gratitude to what created it. Tarot has a way of showing you true miracles in your life and the depth of the beauty that is your life and this world.:-)
A great book that got me started on tnis path is:
Tarot for Self-Discovery, by Nina Lee Braden.
Definitely one of my favourite Tarot books of all time, actually I would consider it my favourite. The exercises in it sound so simple, but they reveal such a wealth of informtation when you do them! Another good one is:
Tarot for Your Self, By Mary Greer
Oh, and doing meditations on specific cards has been very helpful to me also.
Bar
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| Little Baron |
16 Apr 2005 |
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If you write fiction, Tarot can help with plotting or characterization.
I am writing a novel at the moment and thought this may be a good way to get to know some of the characters that I am less familiar with.
LB
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| mingbop |
16 Apr 2005 |
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your cards are yours , to use as you want to. The person who said that can use his cards for whatever he wants to... No rules ! And you can use them for mediumship as well.
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| Dark Inquisitor |
17 Apr 2005 |
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Does this mean the weakest use of a car is driving ? I am so confused..
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| similia |
17 Apr 2005 |
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I thought it was a fairly common quoted opinion that divination was a low use of the tarot.
There are heaps of tarot authors like Waite and Crowley that say un-nice things about "common fortune-telling".
Of course there is a valid argument that there are "fortune tellers" and then there are "fortune tellers". ;)
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| Rosanne |
17 Apr 2005 |
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I have just watched the news here at 6pm. One of the 'news' stories was that of the amount of 'life Coaches' in Main City. They interviewed a middleage well dressed female whose title was "Tarot Life Coach and Clairvoyant" who said her consultancy was in the corporate world, and her function was to make the corporate world act in a functioning way through universal truths taught by Tarot. So there is something else one can do with Tarot. Bring it to 'mainstream' and normal in the workplace :D ~Rosanne
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| hoomer |
17 Apr 2005 |
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ok my aplogies to all.....
I did originally rephrase my original statement...but then I edited over it ...hence why I posted "ok"...
OK....I was taught that merely using the cards for "fortune telling and readings" are the weakest forms of use....
USes such as meditation.....("spell work"...meditating upon the cards in order to actually become one with them)
story telling ...(using the cards as a stroy creation device)
conversations....(having conversations witht he cards...like a child would a toy)
essentially as tools of transformation......
my apologies...I was merely gauging people....cause I'm new..lol...sorry
"the height of knowledge is to know nothing"
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| jmd |
17 Apr 2005 |
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No need to apologise, hoomer.
Each of these uses, as far as I am personally concerned, leads to important development within oneself. What is regretable is that obviously some authors (or the person(s), order or group with which you are associated) is seeing one of these uses - namely divination - as somehow weaker.
To enter the cards and converse with them, to allow a narrative to develop, to use them for meditative (in the more generic sense of the term) purposes, etc, each leads, also, towards the climb that the gnostic hermetic path seeks to open. And this, also, travels towards the divinatory.
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| Elizabeth Genco |
17 Apr 2005 |
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When I'm using Tarot for readings, those readings are less about "divining the future" and more about getting insight into a situation -- and, ultimately, they're often about getting advice.
I love it when the Tarot tells me what to do. :)
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| SunChariot |
17 Apr 2005 |
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Ultimately I suppose any use of Tarot transforms us. Tarot cannot help but being a tool of transformation.
Knowing the future changes us, it changes the way we act to it and deepens our understanding of how the universe works.
Me too I love it when the cards tell me what to do. I always do a reading now before I make important life decisions, like recently when I had to find a new job and was not sure which one to take. BTW, it seems to have given me the right answer as it always does.
Doing a reading first helps me feel more secure that I am making the best possible decision, as so often when we have to decide what to do we do not have enough of the facts to know for sure, but the cards do. :-)
Bar
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The Other USes thread was originally posted on 15 Apr 2005 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.
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