Why Tarot?

Ever since I have slowly been removing myself from the tarot closet I have received mixed reactions from friends, family and the world at large. Some people are intrigued. Some people are supportive. Some people think it is cool. Most people have questions, which is totally understandable.

Some of the questions I get are:

What is tarot? Isn’t that fortune telling? Why would you chose to study something so weird? Odd? Off-the-wall? Out-there? Why use a tool with such a negative stigma attached to it? There are other ways to heal yourself.

All in all, the question is “Why tarot?”

At first I was indignant. I would scoff and say “why not?” thinking that I was just more open minded and accepting than those who questioned my choice.

But I realized that is unfair. Those questions are totally valid, and I have the unique opportunity to educate others on what tarot really is. At least, what it is to me.

The exact origin of tarot is unknown, however it is presumed to have its ancestral roots in China. I am not going to try and explain how it came to be the 78 card system that we know today, mostly because there are many other people who can and have explained it much more eloquently than I could – and also because it would take far too long to be contained to just one blog post. However, what I will say is that tarot has served as a playing card game and a system to “tell the future”, but in its latest incarnation, it is a superb tool for personal development and psyche diving.

Carl Jung was intensely interested in tarot’s use as a system for psychological development. He passed before he could invest himself in the in-depth research that he wanted to, but he asked that his students continue to study tarot and increase its validity as a system.

So what is tarot? Most basic, it is a deck of 78 cards broken into two sections called the major arcana and the minor arcana. The Minor Arcana resembles a set of playing cards with four suits.

There are some major differences: the “jack” is broken into two cards called the page and the knight. Also, the suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades are cups, pentacles, wands and swords. The Major arcana is the part of the tarot is made up of 22 cards which represent archetypal energies found within us all. The major arcana is sometimes called “the fool’s journey” because it was designed around the bardic technique of telling the story of a character, the fool, which is the first card in the deck. The story of the fool is a metaphor for our own life journey, and the rest of the cards in the major arcana can represent different phases of life that we are going through.

There has been a resurgence around tarot in the past few years. More and more people are seeing its validity as a tool. Creatives has rallied around it – writers, artists, musicians – have taken to it naturally because they understand the metaphoric nature of it. They understand that we all find parts of ourselves in everything – the books we love, the books we write, the movies we love, the movies we make, the music we love, the music we make – it is all fragmented parts of us scattered around for us to find. And when we do find those missing parts of us, it is the most magical thing in the world. Tarot gives us a chance to tap into that at will, which is a powerful thing.

Tarot has also found favorability in the psychology world. This is why I find it most helpful. After going through a particularly rough time in my life, I was looking for a tool that would allow me to counsel myself. Tarot is the perfect tool for this because it provides a reference point outside yourself to guide you. The cards show you available pathways for navigating through challenges that may arise. If you trust your intuition, you will find that the cards will be very poignant.

Tarot is a mirror which reflects the truth back to you. You will find yourself in them.

Tarot is such a beautiful and powerful tool for personal development. It has truly changed my life for the better. For those of you who are walking a path of healing and growth, allow yourself to do what works. If you use tarot and it works well for you, but someone shames you or puts you down for using it, let it go. Don’t let that stop you from doing what works for you. Your healing is absolutely no one else’s business.

The reason that I started this blog, and the reason I want to start giving readings for others, is because I want to help people. I do not presume to be a counselor, but I do believe that I have a certain amount of wisdom that comes with going through tough times. I know what helped me and what provided me with an immense amount of clarity; and if those tools and that wisdom can help others then I am all for it.

If you have any other tarot questions, comment below, email me at lionhearttarot@gmail.com or comment on my Facebook wall at Lion Heart Tarot and I will be happy to get back to you.

Good vibes,

XOXO

#Tarot #personaldevelopment