Through pictures, the cards in a Tarot deck represent the situations of life and cycles of life. The wisdom and insight contained in Tarot is expansive - it is very well organized and it agrees with religions all over the world about right & wrong, next & previous, and advice about how to handle situations. Of course, the religions don't necessarily "agree" back! However, the knowledge in Tarot ranges from elementary to very complex and sophisticated.
For example. One is the beginning, the start. Two is actualiztion - the element or catalyst needed to combine with one to produce something. Three is the product, the result of one and two, the harvest. This is a simple progression, and it can be applied to just about anything. This progression, as well as steps four through ten of the progression, are illustrated in Tarot at least five times - all from different perspectives. The suit of Pentacles, for example, shows the cycle with material wealth (money). The suit of Cups show the cycle with relationships. The subtle differences between the suits is wisdom. These cycles occur time and time again in every aspect of life.
Now, it isn't that difficult to sit down and look at a situation and apply such a simple progression. Tarot isn't difficult. Simply applying the progression may not be very revealing or rewarding - even though it may predict the outcome of the present situation. However, combine with this the other seven parts of the cycle (cards four through ten) plus outside influences (the court cards and Major Arcana), and you have a powerful tool for analysis of any situation. In addition to promoting brain-storming, the cards can represent layers and subgroups of high complexity.
There really is much to be learned from this well-organized set of pictures. Again, the power of the technique comes from focusing on the problem, analyzing it from several angles, and using the knowledge of cycles to understand the outcome. Once one is proficient at this, it is also easy to understand how outside influences are affecting things and how you can change the outcome through action.
It's like doing algebra. The first few problems are difficult. The basic concepts are simple. Once applied to problems of high complexity, you can break it down into the simple again - and after some practice learn to see things in a problem even before you start to work it. And, like algebra, the first few days reveal things that are not too useful. After a year, however, things become much more useful. What you can learn from this stack is only the first few days of class - and you can't walk way with much that's mind-blowing or of use. After a year, though, look out!
The point is that there is real, useful knowledge stored in the organization and pictoral representations of the Tarot cards. Knowledge that anyone can tap and use!
