Mystery of the Tarot

The Tarot cards are an ancient tool designed for the practice ensuring intimate self-knowledge and the learning of a practitioner’s path and this World. Cartomancers around the world make use of the Tarot cards to discern their intuition and hear their inner wisdom. These cards are used to facilitate a choice or explore the mysteries of life, look into the future or clarify a situation, avert danger or maintain inner harmony…

The origin story of the Tarot is as mysterious and complex as the deck itself. Some researchers trace the origins of the cards all the way to Ancient Egypt, some claim they are closely related to Kabbalah, and many draw parallels between the Tarot and regular playing cards.\n\nThe development of the Tarot system, which has survived to our days, began in Italy during the Renaissance. During that era, marked by the dawn of science and art, reverence for beauty and secret knowledge, the Tarot was enhanced by astrological, religious, and artistic images.\n\nThe Tarot became the essence of knowledge accumulated by humankind over centuries. In addition to its magical and astrological symbolism the cards are also filled with archetypes – certain universal images, the marrowbone of things, primordial imagery, which are universally understood by everyone, regardless of the period, culture and education. For example, everyone will understand where the image is negative and where it is positive.

In the Tarot system there are few unshakable truths and unambiguous formulas. This is what makes them so great! Versatility and symbolism turn the Tarot into a guide between us and the universe, between our intuition and the energy of the world. Everything in the world is energy. The symbolism, magic and complexity of the cards empower us to join its flow and get answers for ourselves.

Reading the Tarot is not divination in the sense of clear prediction of the future as it will actually happen. The Tarot does not deprive us of our free will and ability to act.\n\nThe cards do not predict — we are the ones creating the future!\n\nThey only give us tips and demonstrate what we have already created. We are responsible for our decision-making and choices we make — the cards highlight the essence of the matter, allow us to look at it from a different angle, give clarity whether it is worth investing energy in a specific case. Over the centuries since its inception, there were several schools of the Tarot, which offer varied interpretations of the meanings and images, and many decks with modern images have emerged. But the point is the same: the associative meaning of the images is what matters, naturally, with reference to the oldest interpretations.\n\nThe cards have established meanings, but the ways of interpreting them depend on us and our intuition, on the richness of the spoken language, awareness and sophistication of the diviner.\n\nWe can interpret the cards differently based on our knowledge of the essence of our question, our intuition and the work of our subconscious mind. The cards become our channel of communication with the spiritual world.\n\nEveryone who wishes to work with the Tarot should develop their creativity, take an interest in the history and culture of various countries and epochs, psychology, astrology, various branches of human knowledge and achievements, as well as develop the imagery of their thinking and speech.

There are 78 cards in the deck. Of them 22 are Major Arcana and 56 are Minor Arcana. The images of Major Arcana are individual, their names are unique, and their meanings are complex and symbolic.\n\nMajor Arcana describe higher order phenomena, karmic and spiritual lessons of life, or life scenarios. Furthermore, they serve as a representation of the path that we must travel to achieve inner peace. Each Major Arcanum may depict us at certain points in our lives.\n\nThe Minor Arcana are divided into four suits, each corresponding to one of the four inner elements of man: fire, water, air, and earth. They mostly describe mundane developments, situations we may encounter on a daily basis, people from our environment, and levels of relationship with them.\n\nIt appears that the 78 cards have potential to answer any question we have.\n\nModern psychology and the coaching approach maintain that we have all answers within us. The Tarot essentially “said” the same centuries ago. It is important to openly ask strong questions that help us expand our understanding of the situation and look at things from a different angle. It is important to get a message from space through the metaphorical and associative nature of the cards and to find answers by connecting ourselves and space.