How Tarot Cards Work
In most people's minds, "Tarot card reading" means
a woman in flowing robes, leaning over a small table in a candlelit room,
foretelling impending doom.
But that's not really what Tarot cards are about. In fact,
they're not even really meant to tell your fortune or future. According to The
Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn, "The most powerful sources of
information come from within; the Tarot aids in coming in contact with one's
Higher Self."
But what does that mean? In this article, we'll look at the
various ideas about where Tarot cards come from, what they mean and how a deck
of cards can possibly tell you anything about yourself. You'll learn why it
matters where the cards fall and why you don't have to be a psychic to do a
Tarot reading.
There are actually two different types of Tarot readings:
question readings and open readings.
In question readings, you are addressing a specific
question. Tarot is not intended to answer specific yes or no questions. Most
say it also shouldn't be used to make decisions, but instead should be used as
a guide to help you make the decision yourself. For this reason, the way a
question is stated is very important. According to Joan Bunning, a Tarot reader
and teacher, questions should:
Keep your options open: If you have the answer before the
reading, then you're not allowing the cards to guide your overall decision.
Bunning gives this example: Asking how you could encourage your mother-in-law
to move out, as opposed to asking how you can get along better with her, is
narrowing the scope of the true question by answering it before you even get
started.
Find the best level of detail: Your question should be
focused, but not overly detailed. Rather than looking at one particular aspect
of a problem, find a way to look more broadly at it. For example, rather than
asking how you can make your home life less chaotic, ask how you can better
balance kid schedules and adult schedules. That is a focused question. But do
not go so far as to ask how you can coordinate baseball, soccer and Cub Scout
schedules and still have family time -- that's too detailed. Only include the
minimum level of detail needed in order to express what you want to learn from
the cards.
Focus on yourself: If the reading is for yourself, make sure
your question focuses on you rather than on someone else who you think may be
the root of your problem. For example, asking why your son is experimenting
with drugs is focusing on him, not you. Asking what role you play in your son's
decision to experiment with drugs brings the focus of the question back to you.
Stay neutral: In order to stay open to other points of view,
your question has to be neutral and not convey a preconceived notion that your
view is necessarily the right one. The cards can give you guidance if you ask
for it. For example, asking why you're doing more work around the house than
your spouse isn't neutral; asking how you can get more cooperation from your
spouse when it comes to housework is neutral.
Be positive: Make sure your question is stated in a positive
rather than negative way. Instead of asking why a specific event hasn't
happened, ask what you can do to help make that event happen.
Open readings address the larger aspects of your life rather
than a specific problem area or question. They're usually done when you're
entering a new phase of life, such as getting married, graduating from college
or starting a family. You can somewhat direct the reading if you have a general
area you want to cover, such as your career or health, but that's as specific
as the direction gets.