On the spiritual side of things, Tarot is a terrific way to get in touch with your subconscious mind. It is easy, natural, and fun.
You have probably been reading about the scientific methods (in this stack) that are employed - however subtly - by Tarot. Well, to actually use Tarot, you are going to have to forget all that. Tarot is a "soft science", almost an art. Its success relies upon your belief - if you believe the cards won't work, they probably won't. Your belief is expressed in "scientifically silly" movements or rituals. For example, shuffling the deck. Cutting the cards, and setting them out in a certain, per-determined order. This is not scientific. This is all for the benefit of your mind. This is all done to wake-up your right-brain and yank your subconscious to attention.
If you sit and shuffle the cards thinking, "wow, the smallest movements in my hands are causing the cards to order in a manner controlled by my subconscious", then your spread will probably be junk. The more scientific you get, the more the left-brain will be involved.Such thoughts convince the right-brain to give up and let the left-brain handle it. Left brain is great at algebra, but rather poor at intuition and "chatting" with the subconscious.
You must release your logical thoughts, and get into shuffling the cards. Repeat the question you have formulated before you started shuffling. Don't count how many times you shuffle or shuffle only a certain way; shuffle any way you want until you *feel* that it is right. Then cut the cards from right to left into three stacks. More ritual. Then layout your spread, one card at a time; slowly, carefully, and following the layout order and placement. Don't think about the science; think about the mystery.
Your subconscious mind records everything. It can process information very rapidly, and it can evaluate situations with a much higher comprehension than the conscious mind. Unfortunately, we don't talk to our subconscious mind very often. Tarot is the "telephone to the subconscious". Incredibly, the subconscious mind is powerful enough to control the smallest muscle groups in your fingers to precisely control how those cards are shuffled. It can put any card anywhere, and it controls the cut as well. If you allow yourself, your subconscious mind is ready to begin talking directly to you - through Tarot.
It is this way that the cards work. You are not drawing from some satanic power for knowledge, you are not tapping the center of the universe (although some have speculated that the subconscious is sensitive to other people's thoughts and the vibrations of nature and the universe). You are simply spelling out everything you know - even subconscious knowledge - into a single group of symbols and pictures for analysis. A little focus, and little concentration, and *poof*! You have a complete understanding of the situation on a conscious level. Now you can do something about it - or at least you can be prepared for the probable outcome.
The key to life is balance. We must balance the technical circuits, computers, TV, electronics, cars, and logic "hard" sciences with art, touch, softness, nature, emotion, movement, and soft sciences. To develop one side without developing the other is to try to run in life with only one leg. Tarot is one of many ways to excersise the other side of us - the human side.
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