Tarot function

The oldest beliefs about the tarot can be described by the term cartomancy that is divination by cards. It was believed that mysterious Fate guides the shuffling and selection of cards. Each moment has a unique and magical quality that is divined by, and reflected in the cards just as it may also be seen by reading tea leaves, clouds in the sky, bones, the entrails of animals, stones, seeds or dice. The random shuffling of the pack mixes the vocabulary of symbols contained within the cards into a chaotic jumble and the act of laying the cards out creates order from the primal chaos. At any moment, the cards that are drawn reflect the qualities of the time, just as the seemingly irrelevant images of a dream may be seen to identify particular issues emerging from the unconscious self.

If the cards and their actions are the outer form to the mystery of tarot, the inner secret is about how and why they have such a profound effect upon us.

Their operation in the realm of the psyche is becoming more important although the use of tarot for divinations is not diminishing in favour of its use as a tool for personal transformation.

Tarot demonstrates that the inner psyche not only has a profound relationship with outer events, but also provides a symbolic mirror for them. The tarot reading produces certain combinations of symbols that reflect the state of the psyche of the querent (the one who asks the questions) at a given moment, and provides the inner and outer guideline required to understand current.

Tarot is an ideal process through which to observer, interpret and interact with the operations of the psyche. The images of the cards only reflect what is happening inside, and the way you understand these images parallels the way in which you understand and act in your life. Tarot is a near perfect mirror of your being.